


Leave the past in the past (I can't)

by Sunnyqueen



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: And Rachel's, Angst and Fluff and Smut, BAMF Kono Kalakaua, Coda, Danno didn't deserve this, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode Related, Eventual Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams, First Dates, First Kiss, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Forgive Me, Forgiveness, Getting Together, Hurt, Hurt Danny "Danno" Williams, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I've stolen characters from, Kelly-Kalakaua cousins are back, Leader!Dannny "Danno" Williams, M/M, Nahele is Danny's son now, Not Beta Read, Not Danny/Rachel, Post 10x22, Post-Season/Series Finale, Team as Family, Yelling, criminal minds - Freeform, eventually, seal team
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:29:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 84,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23486101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunnyqueen/pseuds/Sunnyqueen
Summary: With Steve no longer in Hawaii, there was nothing tying him to the islands anymore. So when the opportunity to go back to the mainland with a job offer came, he took it, leaving with two sons and an ex-wife turned housemate, his daughter on the other side of the ocean waiting for them. Maybe, being far away from an endless summer, surf, and shave ice was what they needed to heal and moved past being forgotten.Will be updated on Thursdays.
Relationships: Kono Kalakaua & Chin Ho Kelly & Danny "Danno" Williams, Kono Kalakaua & Danny "Danno" Williams, Rachel Edwards & Danny "Danno" Williams, Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Comments: 894
Kudos: 547





	1. Chapter 1

“You are also leaving?” Nahele questioned, staring at Danny wide eyed. First Steve, now Danny was also leaving? 

“Yeah… I’m sorry kid. But without Five-0 and with Rachel and Charlie going back to the mainland, I don’t have much going for me anymore.” He explained.

“What about Steve?” His voice was small, and he hated it, but he had to ask.

Danny took a sharp intake of breath at the mention of his ex-partner. “He made his decision, Nahele. I’ve waited over 8 months for something, for a call, a letter, a simple _I’m fine_ text, and I’ve gotten nothing.” The young man nodded, he understood what Danny was saying. “I already stayed here for him once, I’m not doing it again. I _can’t_ do it again, do you understand?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to guilt trip you or anything.”

“I know you didn’t.” He wrapped a warm, calloused hand around his nape. “I need to ask you something.”

He looked up at that. “Sure, of course. Do you need me to help you pack? When are you leaving?”

“The end of the month. But no, that’s not what I wanted to ask. What I want to know… Do you want to come with me?” 

Nahele’s breathing stopped, his brain frozen in a simple second. Go with… Danny? To the mainland? Away from Hawaii? 

“You don’t have to give me an answer right now, kid. You have two weeks.”

“But… I don’t understand…”

Danny sighed and gathered him into a fatherly hug. One that he had been the recipient of a lot of times in the last 8 months. “If I leave, will you be ok? Do you have someone other than Kamekona that you can fall back on? I don’t want to leave you alone, kid. I’m not Steve, I can’t do that. And you don’t have to stay with us, you can come, see if you like it, and if you do, you stay there with me, Rachel and the kids. If you don’t, you can always come back.”

“But… you are not... you don’t have to take care of me.” He said, unsure. He hadn’t been lucky in that department: his mum died, his father was a murdered and then died, and the closest thing he had to a mentor, someone to look up to just upped and left with no more than a quick hug.

“Shush. I don’t need to be blood to love you, Nahele. _You_ are my _son_.” He whispered, feeling the boy tremble in his arms. And fuck Steve, how could _he_ of all people, abandon Nahele like that? He could put up with the radio silence, been there done that, too many times, probably, but the kid didn’t deserve that. The kid wasn’t an adult, he hadn’t had to put with Dear John letters. “Think it over, okay?”

He nodded before speaking again, his voice trembling as much as his body was. “Job? I don’t have qualifications for anything.”

“LAPD always needs someone dismantling cars for cases, and you are damn good at that, so I talked with them and if you come, you’ll have a place there.”

Nahele pulled back, eyes widening in surprise: it was one thing to invite him over for dinner nights with Charlie or to let him take Eddie for a run and another one to get him a job miles away and offer to take him with him.

And he knew in that moment what he needed to do. For Danny. For _himself_.

“Yeah. Yeah. I’ll come with you.” He mumbled, nodding so fast that Danny feared his head would snap.

“I’m glad to hear that. I’ve already talked with Kamekona, in case you said yes, and he said he will offer your position to someone in foster care. Actually, he’s thinking of only hiring foster kids from now on.”

Nahele nodded, his heart lifting at those words: Kamekona was tight with his money, but he was a good man. A really good man. He felt sad about leaving the shrimp truck, Kamekona and Flippa, but he wanted to see the world, or at least, the mainland. And more importantly, he wanted to be with his family, with his siblings.

* * *

Everyone had come at the airport to see the three of them off, Rachel having gone ahead to start putting the house together along with Eddie. Eric had decided to stay until the end of the year, and then him and Tiffany would move to the mainland too, whether that would be the East coast or the West was still to be seen.

“I’m going to miss you so much.” Tani sniffled, tucking her head on his shoulder and her hold around him vice-like. “Promise you’ll call?”

“Of course, kiddo. And if you need to talk, _any_ of you,” he said, looking at the whole group but his eyes clearly lingered on Junior and Adam “just call me, alright? Besides, we’ll visit every now and then, right kids?”

“Yeah!” Charlie exclaimed. “Mommy and Danno said we’ll come back for Spring Break with Gracie!”

“That we’ll do.” He ruffled his head before walking up to Junior, opening his arms. And if Junior almost crumbled into them, nobody said anything, all of them moving a few feet away to give them some sense of privacy. “I’m sorry things turned out this way, Junes.”

“It’s… It’s fine. You shouldn’t have to put ourselves before you. We don’t want you doing that. Just… Just promise you won’t, y'know…”

“Disappear off the face of the earth? Never. You are still my _ohana_.” He patted him on the back. “Take care of Tani, ok? And I better not hear anything about you jumping off planes or blowing up buildings or not waiting for backup.”

“Never.” Junior smiled at him. “Will you really visit?”

“Of course. Besides, I do have to go to court for some of our cases, so don’t worry. And I meant it, if you ever need to talk, just call me.”

“Thank you for everything Danny.” He hugged the man again before letting go.

Lou had been the next and final one. “If he comes back, what do I tell him?” He questioned, low enough that the others wouldn't hear them.

“That we left the islands. He doesn’t need to know more.” _Doesn’t deserve it_ he thought. And he knew Lou understood what he was really trying to say when the man gave him a solemn nod. “Come visit us someday, yeah?”

“You got it, brother. Renee will be glad to visit LA. She has been asking for years.” He laughed before engulfing the shorter man in a hug, squeezing him. “Take care, Danny.”

“You too, Lou. I’m sorry I’m leaving you with this whole mess.”

“Don’t. Don’t apologise. I understand. I never thought… I never thought you and McGarrett would ever part ways, I always thought you two would grow old together.”

A flashback of a forbidden dream invaded Danny’s mind for a second. “So did I, Lou. But we don’t get to dictate our lives, and he’s clearly made his choice. We just don’t happen to be in it anymore. None of us.”

“I’m sorry he treated you that way, Danny. You sure as hell don’t deserve it. Not after everything you’ve done for him.”

Danny shrugged, looking equal parts resigned, heartbroken and uncomfortable. “Yeah well, what’s done is done, nothing good will come of dwelling in the past.”

Lou sighed, knowing very well that he would get nowhere. “You said to call if we ever needed to talk, but know that it goes both ways.”

“Thanks, Lou.” He pulled away from the Chicago man and took Charlie’s hand. “See you soon, guys.”

“Aloha, Danny. Aloha kids.” Noelani said, her voice wet and red eyes red-rimmed, Tani and Quinn nodded, both with tear-stricken cheeks. The three men only smiled.

“Aloha.” Danny replied, fighting off tears.

He had left home once, ten years ago, and it had hurt, but he would never be able to say which time had hurt the most: the time he had nothing and was following what he had lost, or the time he had everything and was running from what he had lost.

* * *

“Danno! Charlie! Nahele!” Before they could stop him Charlie had taken off to his sister, jumping into her awaiting arms with a squeal of “Gracie!”

“Hi Monkey.” He said, kissing her head. God, how much had he missed his little girl. “Rachel.” He left his kids alone before hugging his ex-wife, kissing her cheek. 

“How was your flight?” She asked, taking Charlie’s bags and loading them in the trolley, followed by Nahele’s and his own.

“Uneventful, which is always good in a flight.” He grinned, to what she rolled her eyes.

After Steve's departure Rachel had taken over, taking care of him. He had moved out of Steve’s house, too many memories in every single inch of the place, and moved to Rachel's.

And they had talked during those months she stuck by his side. They both agreed they were amazing as friends, but terrible as partners. 

Danny had quit Five-0 5months later after Steve left. He had talked with Lou about him taking charge, but he had refused, saying he was too old already and would have to retire in one or two years, to give the leadership to Tani, with Quinn as her second. So he had trained them to the best of his abilities with the help of Duke, Lou and the governor herself. Lincoln had quickly adapted to their frantic rhythm of life and the ins and outs of police work.

Governor Mahoe had given him a very nice cheque for his services to the islands for a decade, saying that he would be missed as a cop and as a friend.

He hadn't even been aware that they were friends.

And after that, Rachel and him talked about their next move: they didn’t have anything or anyone who tied them to Hawaii anymore. She had been offered a position in Santa Ana, where her companies HQ where at, and the second the rumour the second in command of the infamous Task Force of the Aloha State was going to retire had hit the streets (the upper, fancy ones. The ones the Governor moved on, not the ones cops and low lives did) , Danny found himself with more work offers than he knew what to do with; Los Angeles wanted to have their own task Force, just like San Francisco did, and they had offered him the option of running it. He had declined at first: he was too old and too tired to chase perps down the streets of Los Angeles, but he Governor had said they didn’t want him doing that, that he had done more than enough in his years of service, both as a cop in NJ, in HPD and in Five-0, that what they wanted was to have him supervise and control the team, they wanted him to train and hand pick his team from all the people they had found.

And that sounded like a very good deal to him, so he had taken it.

Rachel and him agreed to find a place halfway and they had settled for Downey: they weren’t married anymore, they weren’t together and they would never be again, but they still loved each other, they still cared for each other, and more importantly, they had children who deserved to have a family. 

All of their family.

Rachel had taken Nahele as her own son as quickly as Danny had, seeing that he was just a boy who had been incredibly unlucky in the family department.

And she always had wanted three children.

Danny had let Grace and Rachel find a house on their own they liked within their price range and then they bought it 50-50. It was a big house: 5 rooms, 3 bathrooms, a very nice basement and a huge kitchen that Danny had fallen in love with at first sight.

For some reason, the Governor had come forward and said that she would pay for shipping their furniture, so they hadn’t had to buy many things besides kitchenware, towels and the likes. Danny suspected that it was because she realised that he had always done a lot more than he should have, like most of Steve’s paperwork.

“Welcome home, guys!” Grace exclaimed, opening the door, and the first thing Danny received was a yellow lab jumping at him, barking and licking his face.

“Eddie! Down boy. Down!” He crouched next to the dog, hugging him close and kissing his head. “Missed me?” A happy bark was his answer. “Yeah, I missed you, too.”

The house was nice, big and spacious, with a huge backyard for Charlie and Eddie to run around and play in. He had let Rachel keep the biggest room, and he got the second one (why a single house would have basically two master bedrooms was beyond his comprehension) and the kids’ were all the same size to avoid arguments. Both boys had agreed to let Grace have the one with the balcony, as neither of them cared much about it.

After Rachel and Grace had given them a tour, Nahele had left to unpack, Grace had gone with Charlie to do the same and Rachel went back to the kitchen, so Danny announced he was going to take a nap and to wake him for dinner. He changed clothes and lay down on the bed, he was exhausted. He felt the bed dip and a furry head rest on his chest, he should probably make him go to his own bed, but he had never been able to resist Eddie’s puppy eyes. And he liked having him there with him.

He kept nightmares of a dying partner in a plane at bay.


	2. Chapter 2

He was going through the list of candidates when his eyes doubled in size at the name in the file, toast going back to its dish. He chuckled, running a hand through his face before picking up his phone and speed dialing the person in question.

**“Danny? What the hell, brah?”**

“Good morning to you too, Kalakaua.” He replied, laughing at her sleepy voice: she still hated being woken up unless it was for surf.

**“Why are you awake? What time is it there?”**

“If by _there_ you mean the same city you are in, it’s 8.30 in the morning.” He teased, setting the folder down, a picture of a slightly older Kono front centre.

That seemed to wake her up in seconds. **“What? Wait, is it true then? You’re here? To run the task force?”**

He couldn’t help the smile that took over his face at her obvious enthusiasm at the news. At least someone was happy to see him again. “Yeah, babe. I’m here.”

 **“Oh my god Danny, we need to talk. Like, today. ASAP. Can you meet me?** ”

He knew she had questions, he _knew_ Steve hadn’t contacted her. They were all part of his past now, the cousins even more so, after so many years apart. Especially after the way Kono left. It had hurt, but he understood her need to do what she felt was the correct thing, for the greater good.

“Of course, babe. I’ll text you the address. Stay for lunch?”

**“Are you cooking?”**

“What do you want?”

**“Chicken parmigiana?”**

“You got it.”

He hung up, shaking his head at Kono: she had changed when she had left Hawaii, but he was glad to see that with her mission over in the states, she was coming back to the firecracker he had known and loved.

“Good morning Danno!” Grace greeted, ignoring the way her dad closed the folder, used to it ever since she was a child. She sat down on his lap, his arms wrapping around her waist. “You are already working? You got here only two days ago!”

“Yeah well, it’s something that needs to be done, Monkey.” He smiled at her. “So, how do you like this?”

“I love it Danno. Even if mom and you are not together, I love that we can stay all at the same place, with Eddie, too.” She replied before stealing one of his buttered toasts, eating in silence, but Danny knew his daughter well enough to know that she was thinking about something. “I’m really glad Hele came with us. I didn’t want him to be alone in Hawaii.”

“Me neither, Monkey.”

“Does Uncle…” She trailed off, frowning and glaring at her hands. “Does _Steve_ know?”

“Grace, babe, you can keep calling him Uncle Steve.” He said as gently as he could, wrapping his hand around hers.

She shook her head, long ponytail slapping him on the face. “No! He doesn’t deserve it. He _left_ you, after you were in the hospital, _almost dead_ because of him. Again. And he didn’t stay. He hasn’t asked once how you are doing. How any one is doing. He’s not family anymore.” She said in a tone so harsh that Danny blinked twice at her, making sure this was his daughter. “He left Hele, too. Charlie kept asking me where he was, if he was angry at him for some reason. Uncle Chin and Auntie Kono left, but they still call, they sent us Christmas and birthday presents.”

Danny hugged her close. “I’m sorry baby. I didn’t mean to make you angry. ”

“Don’t apologise! It’s not your fault he’s so selfish he forgot about everything you’ve done for him.” She yelled, standing up.

“Grace…”

“She’s right.” They both turned to the stairs, Nahele looking at them both, his hands shoved inside his pockets so they couldn't see that he was digging his nails into his thighs to stop from balling them. “He left _us_ . Someone could have died and he wouldn’t know, because he hasn’t bothered to check in with none of us. He has lost his place in our lives. He _chose_ to lose it.” He took a deep breath before looking at Danny, a tinge of insecurity in his eyes, probably wondering if he had overstepped or intruded.

Danny studied him, the way he was wringing his hands together now and shifting his weight, how he wouldn’t look at them. He stood up and hugged him, Nahele pushing his head against his shoulder, despite the height difference, his arms coming around his back to grip at his T-shirt. He could feel tremble in his arms, maybe from anger, maybe from relief. It didn't matter, he needed comfort, and Danny was there to offer it.

“Oh kiddo…”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have interrupted, I…” He started to apologise. 

“Hush.” He cut him off, rubbing the back of his neck. “You can interrupt. You are a part of this family, alright?” He pulled away to tilt his head, making sure he looked at him in the eyes. “You are, Hele.” He insisted when he saw him shake his head, in such a small way that he probably didn't even realise he was doing it. He pointed at Grace, who was behind him, with his thumb. “Her brother.” He then turned the boy's head towards the stairs and then pointed towards Charlie’s room. “His big brother.” He moved his arm until it pointed Rachel’s room. “Her son.” He pointed at himself. “My son. Ok?”

“Danny…” He mumbled, moving away.

The blond grabbed him by the chin. “Ok?" he pressed.

"Ok." Nahele mumbled, feeling his eyes fill with tears. When was the last time he had someone who considered him his son? His father didn't. Steve clearly didn't. He hadn't even said goodbye in person, just a text. 

"It doesn’t mean we are trying to get into your parents place," Danny continued, bringing him back. "but it means that you have a place here with us, just like them, alright? No more, no less.”

He certainly acted like one: sending her memes and gossip about the island. It had taken him 10 minutes to tell her about Junior and Tani. He had even sent her Kamekona's recipe for the garlic butter shrimp _and_ her favourite chilli sauce ones. 

“Shut up, Gracie.” But he still wrapped his arms around her, letting go of the blond cop.

Danny smiled, leaving them alone when they start to bicker. He grabbed his remaining toast and headed for the kitchen, opening the fridge and checking what they’d need to buy for lunch.

“Hey kids, do you have plans for today?” He called out. Rachel had gone to the office despite it being Saturday to get everything ready for Monday, and he was not leaving them alone in a new house in a new town with Charlie running around.

“I’m meeting some of my friends at the beach in the afternoon, they wanted to go surf and meet Nahele.” Grace replied.

“Well then I guess I’m going to the beach.” Nahele continued, and Danny was glad to hear that the edge of doubt in his voice was gone. For now, at least, he wasn't so naive to think that that was it. But he would tell Nahele that he was their son as much as he needed to hear it.

“Great. Then go get dressed and go to the supermarket, we have someone coming in for lunch.”

“Really?”

“Who?”

“That’s for me to know and for you to find out. I’ll write down a list for you.” He turned around and smirked at them. “If you are quick, I’ll even make garlic bread.”

That seemed to do it, because Grace raced upstairs to the bathroom as Nahele came into the kitchen to grab something for breakfast.

* * *

He opened the door the second he heard a car pull up into the driveway. He watched how Kono basically scrambled out of her car in her haste to go to him.

“Danny!” She slammed into him, both of them stumbling a bit until Danny found his footing, his own arms coming around her waist and holding her close, breathing in her familiar scent. “God, Danny, you are here!”

“Yeah babe, I’m really here.” He kissed her cheek before pulling away, taking a long look.

She had put on some weight since the last time she saw her in the flesh, two years ago, her smile was as bright as it had been when he met her, her eyes warm and caring, with that hint of mischief so characteristic of the Kelly-Kalakaua clan. Her hair was darker and it seemed a bit longer, but it was hard to know since she had it in a ponytail.

“You look great.” He expressed, his hands going from her shoulders to her wrists. “Come on in, I’m sure you have questions.”

She chuckled at that, shaking her head. “Questions? Of course I have questions, Danny! What happened? Why did you leave Hawaii? Whose house is this? What about Charlie and Grace? The team?” She stopped herself for a second, her eyes going as wide as saucers. “Where’s Steve, Danny?”

Yeah, that was the question, wasn’t it? There was no way to explain why he was back in the mainland without Steve coming up.

“C’mon, let’s sit down.” He guided her to the table where he had been working on. “Coffee?”

“Oh, yes! Yes, please.” She smiled at him, but there was a tinge of uneasiness to it, now. “With…”

“Two sugars, soy milk. I remember.” He finished, waving her off, and he knew she was rolling her eyes at him. 

He had served himself another cup, knowing he would probably needed it. He should probably throw in some whiskey in it, too.

They drank in silence for a while, but when they were half way done with the cups, Kono spoke again.

“Where’s Steve, Danny?”

He shrugged in a way that came off, or so he hoped, nonchalant, but with the look she was giving him, he knew he failed spectacularly. “I don’t know, Kono.”

“ _You_ don’t know?” Her tone was disbelieving. Not that he could blame her since no one had told the cousins what had happened; Lou, Adam and him hadn’t seen the need to give them bad news when they didn’t have to deal with the shitstorms that McGarrett left behind everywhere anymore. And everyone had of course thought that Steve would keep in touch with at least Danny.

Danny had thought so, too.

And he had been wrong. Boy, had he been wrong.

“I had barely just come out of the hospital when he said he was leaving to tour the world to find peace, whatever that means.” He replied, and even to his own ears he sounded angry, his words filled with venom and rage. “He didn’t say where he was going. All I know is that he left with Cath to the mainland.”

And hadn’t that been a punch to the stomach: that he would leave them all behind but would disappear with Catherine. Catherine, who had left him when he had needed her the most, who had lied to him multiple times, who had worked with Doris McGarrett and lied about that, who had left Danny with the mission of saving Steve from the motherfucking Taliban.

Kono seemed to pick up on his now barely concealed rage on that last sentence and decided to not go down that route. “How-How long ago?”

“8 months. And a half.” He replied. A few months ago he would have tried to excuse and even defend Steve, now he didn’t even care anymore. He didn’t have the energy.

“What? 8 months? And what do you mean you were just out of the hospital when he left? What the hell happened?”

He sighed, the face of Daiyu Mei coming straight to his mind. He gently shook his head to get rid of it: she was gone. He didn’t need to worry anymore about her. 

Kono grabbed his hand in hers, thumb stroking over his knuckles. “Danny? You don’t have to tell me if it’s too much.”

“No, babe. You deserve to know. Wo Fat’s wife came to collect her husband's inheritance. She uh, she kidnapped me, tortured me and I ended up with a bullet in my chest, along with 6 busted ribs, a dislocated shoulder and a concussion to wrap it up in a nice little bow.” He listed his major injuries, knowing better than to try and hide it from her: he had tried that before and what he got back was an angry Kono motherhenning him for two weeks, even after he had gotten back to desk duty. Her face got sombre and sombre at every word that left his mouth. “I was in the Hospital for a week, two days later he left.”

He had been totally and completely unprepared for the rage that filled the Hawaiian’s voice.

“He left you after you probably almost died because of _his_ family issues? After everything you’ve done for him he decides that he gets to walk away from you? And you let _him_?”

“He wasn’t in a good place, and I couldn’t take care of him and me at the same time.” He told her, his hands up in a placating manner. “Maybe I should have asked him to stay for a while longer, maybe I should have told I needed him there, but I didn’t think he would just leave all of us behind.” He sighed, melting into the chair.

And he had been too shocked and in pain when Steve said he was leaving now, obviously not thinking that maybe the nice thing to do was to stay until Danny could at least move easily, that after everything Danny had done for him, he could have waited another week or two before disappearing.

Sometimes he wondered if he had known him at all. 

“Oh. Oh Danny no, I didn’t mean to blame you. I’m sorry.” She hurriedly said, taking his hand again, apologising. “Is that why you left Hawaii? Because he wasn't there?”

Danny sighed, tipping his head backwards, staring at the ceiling. “I stayed for him, Kono. That first time with Jameson, and all the ones that followed. And with him gone… Well, I didn’t really have a reason to stay anymore.”

She blinked at him, confused. The Danny she had known had never sounded so defeated. And she hated it. She hated that she hadn’t been there for him, to be his pillar if he needed one. And she hated that Steve had hurt him so much and with no second thought, because had he been thinking of someone else besides himself, had he been thinking about his partner, he wouldn’t have abandoned him like that, in pain and probably scrambling to get his life back together after the hole she knew Steve had left in his life.

“What about the kids? Rachel?”

It was then that he realised he never answered whose house they were in. 

“Grace moved here last year for University. And Rachel and I have decided that all of us living together in the same house will be good for the kids. And for our bank accounts. The boys and I got here two days ago.”

“You and Rachel are back together?” She questioned, glaring at him.

She could not believe him: she loved Danny, she did, and he was so smart, but so stupid sometimes. Him going back to Rachel made as much sense as Steve going back to Catherine: zero. After everything his ex-wife had put him through, they were going to give it another try? See if instead of the third, the fourth time was a charm?

“What? No, no. We are housemates, I guess. No sex, no dates, nothing romantic going on besides movies. We are friends, and the kids need some sense of balance in their life after everything that’s happened.” He explained. “After Steve left Rachel was the one who took care of me, moved me into her house so I could have Charlie around all the time. And we talked. We came clean. We have been able to work through everything we have said and done over the years, we know each other perfectly, we know where our boundaries are, and we have finally both realised that we are great as friends, but that we both suck as partners, so we’ve bought the house 50/50.”

“Oh. I thought…”

“I know. Lou had the same reaction. He actually questioned my sanity.” He chuckled when they heard steps on the hallway. 

“Mom? Danno?” He sounded didn't sound scared, but definitely wary, which made sense, it was a big unknown house.

“Coming, baby.” Danny called out as he stood up. “Hey come on, I’ll give you a quick tour.”

“Oh neat! I can already tell you did _not_ decorate the house.” She teased, linking her arm with Danny.

“Hush rookie.” They went up the stairs, Charlie waiting for them on top. “Well, good morning! How did you sleep?” He asked his son as he kissed his cheek.

“Good! The bed is reaaaaaally soft.” He exclaimed, wrapping his arms around Danno’s neck in a hug, his brain registering the woman next to his dad and he tightened his hold on his dad. “Danno…?”

“You don’t remember Auntie Kono?” He asked, but it had been a long time ago, and Charlie had barely been five when Kono left. The boy shook his head. “He used to work with me back in Hawaii, before Auntie Tani and Uncle Junior arrived.”

That seemed to satisfy him, because he then simply smiled at her, because if Danno trusted her, he trusted her, too. “Hi! I’m Charlie!”

Kono laughed: he was just as adorable as she remembered him. “Hi Charlie, I’m Kono Kalakaua.”

“Like Akela!” He said, nodding solemnly at the surname.

Kono shot Danny a confused glance. “One of his old classmates. Kapuni’s daughter.” He explained and she smiled in understanding: one of her many baby cousins. “Charlie, go shower and then you can have breakfast. I think mom has left clothes ready for you to wear.”

“Okay Danno! Later Auntie Kono.”

Kono smiled at his retreating back before turning to Danny. “He’s a great kid, Danny. I’m so happy he’s stayed healthy all this time.” She kissed his cheek before continuing down the hall.

* * *

Danny was helping Charlie fix his bed when the front door opened and she turned around, hand going to her naked hip out of reflex.

"Auntie Kono!"

"Kono!?" 

Twin cries interrupted her train thought and before she had time to react two bodies slammed into hers, sending all three of them straight to the ground.

“Nahele!?” She had been expecting Grace, of course she had, but Nahele? Not in a million years. But of course Danny would have taken care of the kid when Steve disappeared. Had he even thought he was leaving behind a son? Knowing him like she did, or like she thought she did, probably not.

“You could have told us it was Auntie Kono!” Grace accused, glaring at her father.

“It was a surprise.” He simply said, taking in the bags, that had found their way to the floor. “You three can catch up, meanwhile Charlie and I will start making lunch.”

* * *

The kids had taken her outside, Grace telling her that she was going to minor in Business and that she was going to join the Police Academy as soon as she finished. It had been a surprise, because Danny had always been adamant about his daughter _not_ joining the police.

“I managed to convince him. It took me two full months, though.”

“But I thought you wanted to study Medicine.” Kono pointed out, because she remembered one of their latest conversations being about that.

“Yeah, but I changed my mind. I want…” She blushed, diverting her eyes from them and glancing in direction to the house.

“To be like Danno?” Kono continued, smiling when the girl nodded. “He’s the best, Gracie. Have you told him that?”

“Yeah. I think he almost cried.” She replied. “He said that he would only let me do it if I matched his grades. He had a 6.4!” She exclaimed, throwing her arms up in a very Danny way.

“That’s because he knows you can do it, Grace.” Kono chuckled. “Besides, you can always ask him for help when you don’t understand something, now that you are all together.”

“I know.” She slumped over the table.

She ruffled her hair and turned to Nahele. “And what about you? You studying too?”

“Nah, not for me. Danno got me a job in LAPD’s garage.”

Of course he did, she thought. “Nice! When do you start?”

“On Monday. Danno said he’d drop me off. We are going to the same place anyways.” He shrugged. “Are you joining the task force?”

That took her back and she stared at the two teenagers looking at her with excited look. “What? What do you mean?” Was that why Danny called her, to offer her a spot? But she hadn’t even given her CV to Captain Johannes. 

“Don’t tell dad? But we kinda snooped around the personnel files yesterday night and you are there. Like, first centre.”

“Isn’t that why he called you?”

She chuckled: sneaky bastard. “He never told me why he called, actually.” He hadn’t given him time, either, but that was besides the point. “And we’ve been talking about other matters.” She told them, not wanting to mention her former boss in front of them, not knowing how they would take it.

But they clearly got it because they both late out an angry huff of breath at once, crossing their arms over their chests, and clearly the Williams were rubbing off on the young Hawaiian native.

“Eh, he’ll probably ask you this afternoon.” Grace said. “We need to get Uncle Chin to visit, too.”

That was a good idea. Chin and Abby had called it quits a few weeks back, and she was a bit worried for his cousin. Maybe he would even join them if Danny offered. Neither Chin or Abby had quit the task force: Abby was too proud for it, and Chin refused to back down once again. And for what she had heard it was wearing the team down.

“I need to make a phone call.”

“Thanks Auntie Kono!” Grace kissed her. “Danno will be so happy to see him again. He's missed you a lot." She told her.

"Believe me, I missed him, too. Missed all of you."

She stood up and walked to the other side of the backyard, phone in hand and dialling her cousin's number. She then waited until he picked up, hoping that he could convince him to move here with Sara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I've said, I have near no plan for this story, so the tags will more likely change, and characters that weren't listed at the beginning might appear in the end.
> 
> Hope you liked it!


	3. Chapter 3

**“Hey cuz, howzit?”** Chin's voice came through.

“Hey, can you talk?” She questioned, cutting straight to the chase.

**“Yeah, I’m just going through some paperwork. Is there something wrong?”**

“Not exactly wrong but…” She trailed off, before steeling herself and letting it out in one sentence. “Steve left Five-0. And Hawaii.”

**“Steve what? Are you sure?”**

“Yeah. He left 8 months ago, Chin. He hasn’t contacted anyone since he left.” 

**“Well, Danny must know where he is. We can ask him.”**

She let out a dry chuckle. “Danny is the one who told me, cuz. Steve hasn’t contacted him either. He’s here, in L.A.” 

**“Steve? Didn’t you just say…”**

“ _ Danny _ , cuz. He’s here with the kids.” She cut him off, her tone both fond and exasperated: how was it that the smartest Detectives she would ever know could be this dumb sometimes? 

**“Danny is here? So the rumours were true? About the task force being set up in LA?”** Everyone in California had probably heard about it, cops from every single city, big or small, had decided to try their luck when the assessment tests had begun.

There had been talk about someone from Hawaii being the one chosen to run it due to experience in the original task force, but they had thought maybe it would be Lou, with both kids back in the mainland for University. Chin never imagined it would be Danny who would leave Hawaii. But if Steve was gone... Everyone knew that Danny had stayed for him. Or almost everyone.

“Yeah. It explains so much, doesn’t it? He’s taken the kids and is sharing a house with Rachel.” She heard the sharp intake of breath and instantly knew what her cousin was thinking. “They are not together, though. I asked.” More like accused him, but Chin didn’t need to know that. “They are housemates, so the kids don’t have to go from one house to the other all the time and that way they can both save money.” Not sure either of them needed it, but who was she to criticise.

**“Well, so long as he’s happy.”** Chin said, and she knew that he was happy to hear about their favourite haole. They still would need to talk about Steve, make sure Danny understood that no blamed him, but he did look happy. He had his family back (sort of), and wasn't that what he had always wanted?

“That’s the same thing I thought.” She finally said, before taking a deep breath and steeling herself. “Why don’t you come here? With me and Danny? We can work together again.”

**“Kono…”** He sighed, and it came out painful and tired, the same way he sounded lately, and it broke her heart, because Chin Ho deserved some happiness in his life, damn it!

“Think about it, please.” She pleaded. “Danny hasn’t asked me in yet, but Nahele and Grace think he’ll do after lunch.”

There was a slight pause, and for a second she thought she lost connection. **“Nahele? Like, Steve's Nahele?”** _More like Danny'_ s, she thought.

“Yeah. Danny’s taken him in. He calls him  _ Danno _ , Chin.” She said, and that explained exactly what their relationship was, didn’t it? “He got him a job in LAPD’s garage.”

**“That sounds like Danny. Yeah Sara, I’m coming. Look, let me think about it, ok? And talk about it with Sara. This won't affect only me, Kono.”**

“I know. And that’s all I’m asking, cuz. Want me to suggested it to Danny?”

**“Will you do it even if I say no?”**

“Absolutely.” She laughed. “Love you cuz.”

**“Love you too. Even if you are menace.”**

* * *

Rachel could honestly say she could never repay Kono: she might not be Danny's wife anymore, they might no be in love anymore, but she would always love and care for him for everything they once shared, and for their children and seeing him smile and laugh again like he used to, was everything she wanted for him.

When Lou had called her three days after Steve had left her ex-husband alone, in his house, with his dog and with the team to take care of him instead of staying and taking care of him himself she couldn't believe it at first. She had taken Charlie to the neighbours and driven to Steve's, finding Danny sitting in the dark with Eddie's head on his lap.

_ "Daniel?" She spoke softly, not wanting to spook him, and he simply turned to look at her, eyes welling up with tears that refused to fall. Eddie whined, sensing his new human's distress. _

_ "He left, Rach. He left me. No one ever wants to stay with me. You didn't." _

_ All she was able to do was sit down next to him and hug him close, apologising over and over again.  _

It had taken her a month to convince him to move in with her and Charlie. The team had helped her talk him into it, all of them worried about him. And she ended up being close with all of them, especially Adam, forever grateful that Danny had found such a good group of people who loved him after she dragged him all the way there.

The team would drive Danny back and forth to PT and therapy, never once complaining about it and only asking her if she could drive him if they were in the middle of an important case.

They all had been part of Danny's fast improvement, but after two gun shot wounds to the chest, both almost fatal, in less than two years had left Danny out of the field. He could have gone back, but he had known it was his time, and he didn't really feel like it, not with his partner gone. He had wanted to retire forever ago and he stayed for Steve, so now there was no reason for him to stay any longer.

* * *

After lunch Grace and Nahele had left to go to the beach and Rachel had taken Charlie and Eddie out to the park so he could meet some of the other neighbourhood kids after they had all promised to go to the beach the next weekend with him. He had even gotten Danny to promise he would also surf and for Kono to agree to come, too.

“Hey Danny, I don’t have to come tomorrow.” Kono said, following him to his office. “You’ve just moved here and…”

“Shush. You are not intruding, you are ohana, Kono, and I did not put up with that for over seven years for you to walk out on me.” He pointed at a chair. “Sit down.”

“Yes, dad.” She grinned cheekily. “But listen…”

“You’ve been here for two months, Kalakaua, so you don’t have that many friends either, so unless you have plans for tomorrow, you better be there with us.”

“Geez Danny, ok. No need to get the big guns out.” She pouted at him before smiling again, knowingly. “So… You gonna tell me why I’m here?”

Danny rolled his eyes at her. “You know exactly why you are here, rookie. Because if you don’t that means we taught you nothing in 7 years.” He shot back. “So, will you come with me?”

“Fuck yes brah!” She jumped to hug him, tucking herself on his side the same way she used to. “Yeah, of course I’ll come. I’ve missed you so much, Danny. And Five-0. Being with the FBI or LAPD… it’s not the same. There’s no  _ ohana _ there. It’s all about the job.”

“So why didn’t you come home? We would have taken you back.”

She shrugged, looking away. “I left without a word, Danny. I didn’t feel like I could come back. And I knew you had found new people, and I couldn’t take them from that, either. And then Adam…”

“Yeah, I guess that would have been weird.” He conceded. “I do have a request, though.”

“Yeah, of course. What is it?”

“I want you to take the Detectives exam.”

“Okay… What for, though?”

“I won’t be out on the field. I mean, I will go to the crime scenes and I’ll do more, of course, but I won’t be out on chases and inspecting houses. I’ll carry out most of the interrogations, but in here they understand they need someone to supervise you all, that the boss can’t be the wild one. So I want someone who I know and trust outside being my eyes.” He explained, still holding her close. 

“Okay, I’ll take the exam.” She accepted, her heart thumping against her chest at the naked trust Danny had in her, even after 3 years of not working together. “What if I don’t pass?”

“Then you take it next year. But you are still coming with me.” He kissed her head. “You are still going to be my second.”

“Wait, me?” She pulled slightly away, frowning at him. “Danny, people will know we worked together, they will say you are playing favourites…” 

“Immunity and means, babe, you know that. And besides, wouldn’t the people of Los Angeles want to have the best of the best looking out for them?” 

Okay, yeah, when he put it like this, it did make sense, so she nodded her agreement to the position.

“Perfect! Then you can help me look through the files and see who we can interview.”

“We are doing interviews now?” She teased.

But Danny didn’t huff or roll his eyes like she thought he would. 

“Maybe we should have always done it that way.” He said, gently. “I want to do things right, Kono. I  _ need _ to do things right. I can’t… I can’t afford to do it wrong again this time around.”

She frowned at those words. They all knew about Danny’s strange self-esteem: one day he was fine, and the next he acted like he didn’t know if he belonged in the team or not. But she could have never imagined that Danny thought he was the one to blame for what went wrong in the team. He wasn’t even the one in charge and he blamed himself? God help Steve, because if she _ever_ saw him again she was going to fucking punch him in the face. Break his nose, possibly.

“Danny, you will. You always have.”

He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and yeah, the kids had definitely picked that up from him. “Sure. That’s why he left, right? Because I was doing things right.”

Punch him in the face  _ and _ knee him in the stomach. “Danny, no. Whatever reasons Steve had for leaving, they were not because you were doing a bad job. And I don’t need to have been there to know that.” He grabbed his chin, forcing eye contact. “Stop this, it’s not a good look on you.” It never had been. She kissed his cheek. “Ok?”

“Yeah.” He breathed. “Thank you.”

Kono shrugged. “You were there for me when I needed you, when I called you at 4am because I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. It’s my turn to be be here for you.” She smiled at him and sat down on the chair. “Let’s get to it, yeah?”

“Sure babe.”

* * *

They spent three hours working through the files. Rachel and Charlie had gotten back and Eddie had made his way to him, settling next to his feet, probably exhausted of playing with Charlie in the park. Rachel had brought them coffee and told Kono to stay for dinner, too. Even offered her, the spare bedroom in the basement, but Kono declined, claiming she needed to do some laundry the next day.

They managed to go from fifty four candidates down to fifteen. 

“So with all of these we should have most of the positions covered.” Danny said as he straightened the papers. “We’ll need to ask references for an IT guy because I’m still terrible at that.”

“Seriously brah? Ten years and nothing?”

Danny shrugged, finally relaxed again. “I’ve gotten better at texting." He deadpanned. "So, any recommendation? From LAPD? FBI, maybe?”

“I do, actually. We used to be together. Best one I know when it comes to tech. Even better than me.” She smiled to herself, knowing she would never get a better chance that this to bring it up. She took her phone, looked for the picture she had taken of Chin in the beach last time she visited and set it on the table in front of Danny.

At first, he didn’t say anything, trying to decide if Kono was just joking or if she was serious. When she held his gaze, she knew she was actually suggesting Chin.

“What about his task force in San Francisco?” He questioned.

“He and Abby broke up a few weeks ago, I don't know the details, but it's nasty. It’s not good Danny.” She confessed, taking the phone back. “Abby doesn’t want to leave, and Chin says he’s not taking the blame again for something that he hasn’t done. All he has is Sara and the job. And seeing Abby every day at work is making him hate it, I can see it.” She explained. “Please?”

“Kono, I don’t need any convincing. If he wants it, he has a spot with us. He’s ohana, too. And he _is_ the best I know when it comes to tech stuff. He won’t be the head though… It would be a step back for him.”

“Nah brah, you know him. Chin doesn’t really care about leading, like you. If you two had really wanted to lead, you wouldn’t have gone for Detective positions.” She pointed out when he arched an eyebrow and she had a point, so Danny said nothing. “And he will be able to stay with you at HQ since he isn’t that young anymore either. That way you can work twice as fast that if you were alone, bounce ideas and all that.”

* * *

It had been a week of interview after interview and him and Kono had only found one that filled the bill to work with them: Matt Simmons, ex-military, ex-FBI profiler. He had jumped on the chance to be able to be based in one place and be able to see his children grow up: he had aced his firearm test, physical, mental and he had come with a recommendation of one Emily Prentiss, Unit Chief of the BAU. His presence would also help smooth things out with their run ins with the Feds, who they all knew hated not having ownership of a case.

But they were still short of two other members. He had tossed and turned the half the night, and the first thing he did upon being ready to leave the up was call the Governor and ask for permission to hire outside the provided candidates. He had been reminded he had full means and immunity, but that it was appreciated that he checked, so he then called Chief García and asked for the more promising cadets, including those who had been let go. He also had half a mind of finding a SEAL who would want to join them, but a SEAL like Junior, who knew where his limits where at, however that part would be a lot trickier than getting files on cadets.

Once Chin and Matt were there, he would bring it up. He wanted to have everyone's input when it came to new recruits, no giving a gun to whoever he deemed ok. Not that he regretted Tani, Junior or Quinn joining the team, but that simply was not how things should be done. Ever. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys! I just realised I forgot to tag Eddie! Our poor four-legged baby. I feel like an absolute monster.


	4. Chapter 4

**Once Chin and Matt were there, he would bring it up. He wanted to have everyone's input when it came to new recruits, no giving a gun to whoever he deemed ok. Not that he regretted Tani, Junior or Quinn joining the team, but that simply was not how things should be done. Ever.**

Danny walked with Nahale to the garage, listening to every word the boy was saying, Eddie on his other side. He had been unable to leave him at home with Rachel and Charlie when he started whimpering at Danny, gently pawing at him. And he was the best dog, knowing he wouldn't cause problems if left alone.

“Come to… Well, the task force for lunch, ok? Chin is starting today and he has already asked if you’d be there at least three times. And I can also introduce you to the new guy, too.” He told him and then stopped, looking at him before running his hand through his short, coarse hair. “Sergeant Romero said you are a quick learner and that you’re doing a really good job on your assignments. I’m proud of ya, kiddo.”

Nahele ducked his head, feeling his cheeks burn at those words and he started to walk again to downplay his obvious embarrassment and if he heard a quiet chuckle at his faster pace, he refused to acknowledge it. “Thanks, Danno.” 

Danny’s lips twitched at that easy acceptance and followed him. “Anyone giving you trouble?” He knew first hand how police officers could be towards strangers.

“No, Danno. Everyone is really nice.” They really were, they helped him with everything, guiding him in both the job and around the huge building, telling him who the nasty cops were and who the nice were, introducing him the lab techs since they would be seeing each other day in and day out.

And he suspected no one would ever saying anything when they found out who the blond cop was, as far as most of them were concerned he was just a new transfer who had taken a liking to him and once he came out as the new leader no one would ever dare mess with the head of the new task force _or_ his protege. _His son_ , his mind provided, _Danno said you are his son_.

“Good. But tell me if someone even toes the line.” He replied, stopping at the entrance of the garage. “Lunch time, we’ll be waiting for you.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He waved him off and got into the garage, the door snapping closed behind him, greeting the other guys. 

“Huikala, can you handle bikes?” Romero asked him, waving him over as soon as he spotted him.

“Yes sir.” He jogged towards him.

“Perfect. We need to take this one apart, put it back together and see if there’s something missing. Zhao will work with you.”

“Yes sir.”

He grinned at her: May Li Zhao was three years older than him, but they were both the rookies, so they had become fast friends.

“Dude, you need to introduce me sometime to the new detective. He’s so fucking hot.” She said, fanning her face with her hand.

“What?” He hadn’t been listening, staring at their assignment: a beautiful Yamaha YZF-R1. Bikes weren’t really his thing, but he still could appreciate and understand them.

“The new detective, man!" She exclaimed, exasperated. "Blond, blue eyes, fucking ripped? _Really_ nice ass? How do you even know him?” She questioned.

“Oh, you mean Danny?” He continued, taking a wrench from the bench. “He’s uh… He’s my dad.” He said, and fuck, it felt so good to finally say it out loud, even if it wasn’t to the man himself. Not yet, anyways. One day he would work up the courage to call him dad. To call Rachel mom.

He apparently had stunned his partner to silence with that revelation. And the rest of the garage, if the silence was anything to go by.

For all of five seconds you could hear a pin drop before Mäkinen broke it.

“I’m sorry, the new detective is your _dad_? You don’t… look alike.” He pointed out, carefully.

Nahele shrugged. “Adoptive dad.” He specified. “He’s from New Jersey, he moved to Hawaii ten years ago after he got divorced, we met when I was living on the streets and he took me in. He’s a good man. The best.” He didn’t offer anything else, they didn’t need to know anything else. That was the important bit.

“Well, I’m afraid your chances just got shot down to 0, Zhao.” Carter teased her, poking her on the cheek. “Not that they were that high to begin with.”

“Shut up.” The girl mumbled, shoving her mentor’s hand away: talk about awkwardness, she had just told her newest friend she had been thirsting after his dad. Great move.

“Everyone, go back to work! We have a busy day!” Romero yelled and everyone got back to their assignments. “You can gossip around when you are on break!”

"Hey Zhao, don't worry about it. You are not the first one. My sister is sick of her friends telling her those exact same things." He shot her a smirk. "And give the number 2, come on." He extended his arm back, and she dropped it in his hand.

"Why are all the hot guys taken? So not fair."

She continued to pout for some good twenty minutes and Nahele used it to tease her about her having the hots for Danno.

* * *

“Cuz!” Kono jumped into Chin’s open arms, kissing his cheek and then pulling away, looking him over: he had lost some weight since she last saw him.. “You are late.” She pointed out before he could even get a single word in.

“Yeah Chin, not good if you are late on your first late, man.” Danny continued before pulling the older man in a crushing hug. “Hi babe. Welcome back.”

“Welcome back?” He muttered, squeezing Danny: he had missed his fiery haole coworker. He didn’t regret moving out of Hawaii, but he certainly had missed his _ohana_ : phonecalls and Skype could never replace hugs.

“Yeah, welcome back home. With Kono and I. Ohana.” He pointedly answered. “I’m glad you agreed to come.”

“Always, Danny. Even if things had been good with Abby… I still would have come. It wasn’t the same.” He gave the shorter man a final squeeze before letting go. "I think I saw the new guy upstairs at LAPD."

He turned around, the cousins following him into their new offices. “Alright, I need to go through some more candidates so you two can work on setting up the table. Matt is getting sorted out upstairs and he’ll be coming here in an hour, give or take.”

"Technology still doesn't agree with you?" Chin teased as he left his bag on the floor, going straight for the table.

"I'm pretty sure it never will." He looked around, missing his dog and frowned. "Eddie!" He called and almost instantly he heard him walking up to them, pawing one of the offices' door open. "There you are."

“You’ve got a dog?” Chin questioned, surprised: he knew Danny liked dogs. He also remembered him saying they were too high maintenance. 

“Yup. This is Eddie. His handler was killed in an ambush some years ago and Steve kept him.” He bent to kiss the dog on the muzzle. “ I guess he wasn’t that important either.” He muttered, not looking at them.

Chin glanced at his cousin, his eyebrows shooting up: what the hell had really happened?

* * *

Danny had decided to go through the files in the debriefing area to ask for their input, too, so when Matt finally found his way through the massive building and into the task force level, the first he saw was a man programming what looked to be a computer in the shape of a table as he talked to the other two people in the room, his eyes not rising once from what he was doing. He saw another one sitting on an office chair with a stack of folders next to him, on the computer-table, and he too talked without rising his eyes from the paper files. The third was a woman, younger than both men, probably closer to his own age, who had claimed the armrest as her seat, one arm wrapped around the man’s neck and one shoe-less foot tucked under the man’s thigh.

With just a glance any profiler would know that they had known each other for a long time, and that their bond was a lot deeper than that of teammates.

He pushed the door, stepping inside, stopping short when the three of them turned to look at him, in perfect synchronisation.

“I’m looking for Danny Williams?” He said. And he thanked for his years of training, otherwise he would be very nervous under their eyes: curious and wary at the same time, as if they had been betrayed one to many times. The woman seemed to be the most distrusting as she squinted her eyes at him.

The blond tapped the woman on the thigh and her demeanour changed instantly, relaxing and smiling at the man as she moved, slipping her shoe on. He had squeezed her thigh in return to the smile; married, perhaps?

“That’s me. Come in, don’t stand on the door.” He waved him in, extending his hand, all in one same movement. “Nice to meet you, man.” He patted him on the arm. He had a strange accent: the New Jersey accent was thick, but it had been softened by his years away from home, and he didn’t speak as fast as they did there, another effect of living in the islands, he supposed.

“Likewise. Matt Simmons.” Not that he didn’t know it, he was the one who hired him. He turned to the other two, who were now flanking the shorter man. “Hello.” He extended his arm to the woman.

“Hi! I’m Kono Kalakaua. Nice to meet you, brah.” Her voice was warm and yet still held an edge that told him that she took no shit, with a clear Hawaiian accent. She reminded him of JJ.

“Chin Ho Kelly. Welcome to…” He frowned, looking at the other two and he too had a thick accent, his voice strong and calm. Looking at the other two, he could already tell he was the calming presence. “Do we have a name yet?”

“Chin Ho Kelly? From the task force up in San Francisco?” He said, surprised. He had heard about him from name, but had never met him before: he had had a good thing going in San Francisco, so it was surprising to see him step down to move to LA to be under Danny's leadership. Kind of a weird career move.

He smiled and there was a tinge of sadness on it, but it was still a happy smile. “Not anymore. I’m here now.” He nodded, understanding.

“Alright, why don’t you get settled and Chin, babe, are you done with this?” Danny said, pointing at the table

The man glared at the blond. “I would be done if you had stopped putting your papers on top of it, brah. Same goes for you, cuz.”

He blinked at them. So their bond really went that deep? Or was that islander lingo? “You are family.”

Kono grinned as he wrapped an arm around Chin's waist. “Yeah. _We_ are cousins. And Danny is our favourite haole.” She wrapped her other arm around the white man, who simply rolled his eyes at her.

“Haole?” 

“Not native.” Danny supplied.

“Right.” Even though the term probably wasn't used as an endearing one most of the time, Danny seemed to be completely unbothered by it, which probably meant the cousins had been using it for a long time.

“Well, we can get started on how we are going to organise everything. Go nuts, pick an office.” He waved to the rooms. “Hey Eddie, come here!” He yelled, looking towards the main entrance.

“Oh, there’s someone else?” Matt questioned as he opened the first office: they all looked exactly the same size and he wasn’t used to having an office for himself, more used to the bullpen in the BAU.

“He is part of the family.” Danny said as he knelt on the floor. His son?

Well, perhaps not, if the nails clipping against the floor were any indication. A yellow lab came running to him, slamming against the man’s stocky frame, who took the brunt of it with no problem. 

“Where did you go to, huh? Did you go explore? Found any bombs?” The dog barked once before licking Danny on the face. “No? Any hidden drugs?” Another bark. “Well, looks like we are clean, guys.” He grinned at them from his position. “Matt, meet Eddie, my dog.”

He crouched down too, offering his hand to be smelled and licked. “Hi Eddie. He’s a sniffing dog?”

“Veteran, actually. Army. When his handler was killed in action he became DEA. His second handler was killed in an ambush and he took him in.” He paused for a second. “My ex-partner. And since I couldn't leave him alone, I took him with me.” He added, carefully. And Matt knew that was a sensitive topic, so he left it alone.

“I was in the Army, too, Eddie. Nice to meet you, brother.” The dog woofed softly before sitting at Danny’s feet. 

Three of the offices had been furnished with same way: a sturdy black wooden table with a front panel, an office chair, two low armchairs, a couch, white and black shelves, a safe hidden under the table with thumb print recognition, a closet and two filing cabinets. Danny was the only one who had a wall covered in a shelving unit. He had also brought a dog bed, which heavily implied Eddie would be there more often than not. The other one was meant to be shared: it had a bigger table, with a computer set on each side, the rest of it was exactly the same, but just doubled.

"We will have to rookies, and they generally work better on their reports if they have someone to bounce it off with." Danny explained. "They also work together with someone closer to their age that understands the same references they do. So you guys have to pick between the other ones. Feel free to decorate as you wish."


	5. Chapter 5

Nahele knocked on the glass door, poking his head in, but he couldn't see anyone. “Hey! Can I? Or are you busy?”

“Nahele!” Chin exclaimed, going straight to the young man, embracing him. “How have you been?”

“Chin!” He hugged him back. “Good! I’m working at the garage, Danno said to come over for lunch.” He explained and not that he had doubted his cousin, but it still shocked him to hear him call Danny that way. “I can come back if it’s a bad time.” He said when he didn’t see the blond man.

“No, stay. We have a lot to catch up to. Danny and Matt went to LAPD to get some paperwork straightened out. They should be back any time soon.”

“Hey brah, Danny said you found your place in the garage.” Kono greeted him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and directing him to her office, Chin closing the door behind him. "Are they treating you fine? I'm gonna kick their asses if not."

"They are, they are. Promise." He said, shaking his head. Crazy, all of them.

They sat on the sofa, the kid in between them and he probably already knew what was going to happen, because he had a look of resignation painted all over his face, so Kono just charged in.

“How are you doing, Nahele? And we are not talking about being with Danny.”

He simply shrugged, picking on a loose thread on his jeans, avoiding their eyes. “Nahele,” Chin started, setting a hand on his arm. “We understand that you are hurt, you have  _ every  _ right to be, and to be angry at Steve. And we understand that you might not want to talk about it with Danny.”

“He just… He loved Steve so much, and he left him. He didn’t even come say goodbye, he only sent me a text saying "Goodbye, take care". He didn’t even have the balls to come say goodbye!” He exclaimed. “He didn’t even tell Charlie goodbye. You don’t know how many nights he called Danny or Grace crying because Uncle Steve didn’t love them anymore. Grace doesn’t even call him Uncle anymore, she can barely stand to say his name.” He looked at them, taking in their astonished expressions. “I’m sorry. He did so much for me and…”

“Nahele, no. I told Danny the other day: you are entitled to anger. He hurt you. He’s still hurting you.” Kono said, cupping his cheek. “All of you, of  _ us _ are angry at him. And I’m hurt that he’d decided to leave Hawaii and not even call me to get a cup of coffee when he knew I was here in LA, he didn't even tell us about it, so I can’t even imagine how you have been feeling.”

Chin wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “Look, Steve has been important to all of our lives: pulled Danny away from HPD when he needed the most, accepted me when I was a disgraced cop, took Kono before he was done with the Academy, gave you a second chance. And you can love him for that, but that does not mean you can’t be angry, alright?” 

“But…”

“It’s hard. We know. But it’ll get easier, with time.” Danny said, suddenly leaning on the door frame, his legs crossed. “Come here.” He opened his arms and Nahele hurried into them, clinging onto the man, breathing the familiar scent of his aftershave and deodorant. “They are right, Hele. I still love him, always will, probably. He was my best friend, my partner, and those feelings don’t disappear overnight. And you looked up to him.” He squeezed him tight. “You can always talk to me, but if you don’t want to, we can look for someone, alright?”

He pulled away, scrunching his nose in distrust. “A shrink?”

Kono nodded, standing up. “My therapist might be able to help, Hele.”

“Or mine.” The older man added. “We are all bit fucked up here keiki," he explained when he saw his surprised eyes. Somehow people thought most cops could go about life without his head getting all messed up, and with all the shit they saw as members of a Task Force, the chances were slimmer and slimmer everyday. "there’s no shame in going to one. But only if you want to.” He ruffled his hair. “Now, what’s good around here? I’m starving.”

They all took the change of topic in stride, and Nahele perked up as soon as soon as he heard the word _food_ come up, telling them about the places his coworkers had recommended him that were nearby.

“Eddie, come here boy! We are going out.” Danny called out and his furry friend came to him, settling on his side and walking with them. He had even brought the leash, just in case, because Danny trusted him enough to almost never use it. “Matt is meeting us in the entrance, he went to the bathroom.” He told them.

When they met him outside he was texting on his phone and by the smile he had on his face, Danny guessed it was either one of his children or his wife.

“Hey.” He greeted them with a smile, his eyes instantly drawn on young the man.

“Yo, there’s someone I want you to meet." He tugged on said man by the elbow. "Hele, this is Matt, our newest member, he comes from the FBI. Matt, this is Nahele, my eldest.”

“Nice to meet you, man. Danny mentioned you work at the garage?” He said, extending his hand, which the kid took with a strong grip before he launched in an explanation of what exactly he did at the garage, and his coworkers

* * *

Lunch had been a quick affair for Nahele, who didn’t have a break as long as theirs, so after agreeing on going to Danny to go back home, he left. The Five-0 team had told them that as a parting gift they were going to ship the Camaro over to them, so Nahele would get Danny’s car once it got there but until then, he'd have to ride with him. Not that he minded to be carted around.

The new teammates stayed outside for a while longer, sitting on a picnic table, all of the sick of being indoors the whole morning. Eddie was running around, but always close enough that Danny could keep an eye on him.

“So, I’ve got a suggestion.” he started. "Since we haven’t been able to find someone in the Academy to work with us yet I would like your opinion on getting the word out to SEAL on the Reserves. Junior could lend us a hand with that.”

“Well, that would certainly make sure you and I don’t have to go on chases.” Chin added, nodding. “We’ve gotten old, brah.”

“Yeah, I agree. That way I can always set up at longer distances.” Kono continued and then smiled at Matt. “I’m the team’s sniper.” She told him.

Matt blinked at that information: Danny had provided him with their files, saying it wasn’t fair that they had read his but he didn’t get the chance to read theirs. Not that reading them solved many of his doubts, if anything, it only created more: Out of the three Kelly had the highest ranking, but somehow Williams had been the second-in-command in Hawaii for over a decade and was given the chance to create his own task force from the ground the second he had resigned from Five-0. Kelly had only become the Head of his because he came back with Detective Dunn. And Kalakaua had abandoned the team to chase a sex trafficking ring that then had become a Federal case, that’s why her name had ran a bell when she introduced herself. But nothing on those files had suggested that they would need someone skilled at long range shooting.

“Sniper.” He deadpanned. “What exactly  _ are  _ your cases like again?” 

“A bit of everything. From diplomacy cases to stopping dirty bombs and everything in between, including too many biological attacks. We don't pick our cases, the police liaison will call us if needed. The Governor can and will assign us anything that needs to be done quietly, mostly anything related to politics.” Danny replied. “We should be good so long as you don’t have a family member working for the CIA.” He bitterly added.

“Danny!” Kono exclaimed, frowning at him. So it had to do with his ex-partner.

“I know. I’m sorry. But I’m still right.” 

She only sighed as Chin chuckled, shaking his head. “Matt, your thoughts?” He asked him and well, that was slightly surprising: in the BAU and the IRT opinions were taken into account, but not when it came into new addition to the team. They just… happened. Not even Unit Chiefs had much saying into it. One day you had someone new and that was it.

“I agree that it would be better someone for close combat besides myself.” He agreed. “Is there any chance we can look into other Academy’s? No only California’s or Los Angeles?”

“I… didn’t actually think of that. I’ll ask the Governor after calling Junior.” Danny said, thinking. There was someone who fit the bill perfectly.

And the cousins wouldn’t be his ohana if they couldn’t read right through him.

“You already have someone in mind.” Chin announced. “From Hawaii?”

“Yeah, but she's originally form the mainland so it might be easier to convince her."

"Another girl?" Kono whooped. "I mean, I love you guys, but I got sick of tired of always having to go undercover."

"Wow, you makes us feel so loved babe." Danny deadpanned. "But I need to talk to someone else first. Looks like it’s going to be a telephone afternoon for me.” He joked. “That way you can finish with the table" he told Chin "and you two can work on the weapons. And Kono can tell you about some of our cases.”

* * *

The governor had given her okay to looking for a cadet out of LA if he knew for sure they would be the perfect for their team and for a SEAL, so he moved into calling Junior, petting his dog on the head. It was still early, so unless they had caught a case at night, they should be all in HQ.

**“Danny! Hi! How are you?”**

“Hey Junes, you busy?”

**“Uh… Paperwork.”** Danny almost chuckled at that: Junior hated paperwork with a passion.

“So that’s a no. I need to ask a favour.”

**“Yeah, of course sir. What do you need?”** Always so eager to help, god bless his soul.  **“I... I need your help with something, too.”**

“Of course, what’s up?” He stood up and sprawled on the sofa, Eddie immediately making himself home in his lap. 

**“I uh… I want to take Tani away on a date for our 10 months anniversary but…”** He trailed off, and Danny could already picture him blushing.

“Don’t go on a deserted island. Don’t go anywhere where you don’t have cell reception and take in consideration what she likes, but don’t make it all about her, otherwise you’ll be bored and then she’ll be upset.” He listed.

**“Wow. You sure know the how to’s of dating, sir.”**

“I’m  _ divorced,  _ kid, of course I know. And don’t call me sir, you don’t even work for me anymore. Please don’t tell me you call Tani and Quinn ma’am.”

**“No but…”**

“Junior, please.” He interrupted. “Now, about my favour.” Junior hummed. “Is there any way you can get the word out that we are looking for a SEAL? It’s okay to say no.” He reminded him.

**“You are? That’s great!”** He exclaimed and well, that was not the reaction he had been expecting. **“I know someone who can help me spread the word.”**

“You do? That’s… awesome, Junes. Thank you.”

**“No problem, s… Danny. I uh, I don’t want to be disrespectful and I know you said you wouldn’t be on the field much, but I was worried you wouldn’t have someone to have your back.** ” He confessed.  **“I know you are tough, but with two GSW to the chest in barely two years…”**

“You don’t have to worry kiddo. Hopefully none of the shit going on in Hawaii has followed me here.” He doubted it, they had put a lot of bad people behind bars, but one could hope and with his bad luck, he could already see another gunshot in his collection of scars. “Look, tell anyone who is interested to send me their files, no picture, no name. I don’t care about the classified stuff, I want to know who I can trust with my eyes closed and who I can’t. I’ll set up a new email address for that.”

**“Copy that. How are the kids doing?”**

“Oh, they are good. Charlie misses you guys and his friends, but with Hele and Gracie home he’s distracted enough. And he’s been meeting some of our neighbours.” He explained. “At least we’ll have settled down for good before he starts school again.” He said. “What about you guys?”

**“We finished a case yesterday, none of us got injured, one perp dead, the other broke after Quinn and Lou interrogated him.”** That explained the paperwork.

“I’m glad to hear that. Can you get me Lou, please?”

**“Yeah, of course! Talk to you soon!”**

“Sure kiddo. I’ll introduce you guys to the team once I have everyone settled.”

**“Ok! Hey Cap, call for ya! It's Danny.”**

**“Danny, my man! What’s up?”**

“Hey Lou, life’s good. Look, I’m not gonna beat around the bush, so just tell me yes or no: would you be against Siobhan coming here?” He asked.

**“Here as in LAPD or here as in your task force?”** Danny huffed: as if the man didn't know what he meant.

“Lou. Yes or no.”

The man sighed.  **“No. If she really wants to move, I will not force or guilt her to stay. Especially if I know she’ll be under your care.”**

“Always, Lou.” And that was a promise he was making.

**“What’s the matter Danny? Does LA have no good cadets?”** He chuckled.

“Not as of yet, they only started the Academy courses last week, so I guess it's too early. And we couldn't find someone already in LAPD that seemed to have the right mount of crazy. I swear that kind of batshit crazy only happens in the islands.” He sighed. “Or Chicago, apparently.” He added. 

**“Says the one from New Jersey who stayed for ten years.”** Lou shot back.  **“Hey man, I gotta go. Bonnie will give you her answer by the end of the week, alright?** ”

“Perfect. Thanks Lou.”

**“Thank you for giving her an opportunity.”**

* * *

The very next day he had an email with Siobhan's resume and her qualifications from the Academy plus a recommendation letter from Captain Kim. The kid clearly worked fast. He liked that. He liked it a lot.

"Alright guys, so we have our rookie police officer." He said, giving Chin the USB drive. "Meet Siobhan Dayton." ****

"Wow, her scores are _high_." Kono praised. "How do you even know her? Did you teach a class in the Academy?"

"No, Tani did. Fastest shooter in her class and she's an athlete, so we know she's in shape. And I know she's tough." He replied.

"What do you mean?" Matt said, he could hear that there was a story behind that statement.

"She got kidnapped when she was in the Academy. She thought her boyfriend was sleeping with someone else, went to see him at night and turns out he was a yakuza sleeper. She was at the wrong place, at the wrong time." He left out the details that had to do with Adam, no need to bring unnecessary pain on the table. "But she went back to the Academy, kicked everyone butt's off the first position and became one of the best cadets in the History of HPD. I think she broke one of your records, Chin." He grinned at him.

"I'll never be able to go back, then." He deadpanned.

"So, how did a University student from Chicago end up in Honolulu PD?" Matt questioned, arching an eyebrow at the file.

"Chicago, huh? Any relationship with Grover?" Chin inquired, but he already knew the answer.

"Yeah. Niece. Lou Grover is the senior member in Five-0 right now." He told Matt. "I asked him first if he would be opposed to it, but he said he'd never tell her what to do. She'll be landing here by the end of the week. And I've already talked with LAPD to let her stay in the Academy's dorm until she can get a place to live." He said. "I'm going upstairs to clarify that with Chief García the status on the cadets he sent us, we might look into them again when they have finished the Academy and done some time as beat cops." He started heading for the door before he paused again. "Hey Kono."

"Yeah?"

"Come with me, you need to formally meet the man. Chin, Matt, a uniform will drop some of their cold cases, can you go through them and see if we can work through one or two of them? Unfortunately we don't get paid to just sit around."

"You got it brah." Chin replied, smiling their retreating backs: Kono would be a good second-in-command for their blond. She was perfectly capable and eager to learn.

Danny raised a hand in thanks and left, Kono right behind him.

She followed him to the chief's office, immersed in her own thoughts: she had never realised just exactly how much Danny did when she was in Five-0.

In her seven years working back to back with the man she never realised how much they had depended on him to keep everything together. Sure, Steve had been the one to go to meetings and he had been the one who talked with the governor, but somehow Danny's paperwork stack always seemed higher than his. And she _knew_ the blond was not a slacker, she had had to sent him home more than a few times, and even when he had been on medical leave he still took files home. How many times had she gone to check on him when he was injured only to find him on the table, asleep over a file?

They had assumed Steve did everything and that Danny simply picked up his responsibilities when Steve was away or on leave, but seeing how easy the transition had been for him from second-in-command to leader of a new task force with no pre-hired members in a whole new state... well, it had put things into perspective, that was for sure. She could remember how stressed Chin had been at the beginning: budget reports, salaries, contracts, weaponry, the set up of the team... Yet Danny had simply dealt with it.

He had entrusted her into deciding what weapons they would need since she would be the field leader. He had given her the amount of money she had to work with. At that was on her fourth day. She knew that he was good with numbers, that became clear when he went as an Economics Professor and his students actually understood what he was talking about. She had asked him how the hell had he already done the budget report and had it approved by the governor, but he simply shrugged and claimed that insomnia made days longer for him, so he might as well use those extra hours where no one would bother him, but that type of efficiency was not something someone was born with, it was _experience_. 

She just hoped she could be as good as he was.


	6. Chapter 6

A week and a few days later Danny stood in front of 7 SEALs: 4 of them were around Juniors age, the remaining three were over his own age.

Unfortunately, they were too old: he needed someone that twenty years down the line could still be perfectly fine. He had had to let them go. They were surprisingly understanding, even offering their services should the need ever arise, so he offered his in return.

“Alright, here’s what’s going to happen.” He said. “I’ve read your physical reports so we don’t have to go through those, it would be a waste of everyone’s time. I will have an interview with each of you and I’m making this very clear: I do  _ not _ tolerate lies of any kind, including the ones by omission. After that what we are going to do is have you go through some of the cases I was personally involved in during my time in Five-0: one of them will be in a set, one will be written and the last one is going to be through a filmed interview. Clear?”

“Yes sir.”

“Good. The one who passes _will_ attend LAPD Academy and this is not up for discussion. If there’s a case you will come with us, on the days we are not called in, or if not cleared for field work due to an injury, you will attend your classes. Questions?”

“No sir!”

“Yes.” He looked at him: he was one of the youngest, a couple years younger than Junes. SEAL #3. He nodded at him to go on. “Why do we need to go to the Academy? We  _ are  _ trained.” So he had a bit of an attitude, huh? Good. Someone who followed orders blindly did not sit well with him: he needed someone who had questions, someone who would question him and his team members if he thought he could bring something to the table.

“Miranda rights.” He said, looking at him in the eyes.

They all crossed a glance before looking at the one who spoke, who looked slightly confused. “What?”

“Miranda rights. Read them to me.” He did a rolling gesture with his hand. "C'mon, I'm sure you know them."

He blinked a couple times before he opened his mouth.  “You have…” He stood up straighter and he clasped his hand behind his back, which almost made Danny roll his eyes: that kid was as formal as he had been in NPD as a rookie, which hadn't been much. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.”

“Not bad, but not good enough. Give me the  _ complete _ Miranda rights.” He made a gesture for him to go on, but he was met with silence. “Anyone?”

“No Sir.” They all said at the same time.

“Alright then. You have the right to remain silent.” He started. “Anything you say can be used against you in court. You have the right to talk to a lawyer for advice before we ask you any questions. You have the right to have a lawyer with you during questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish. If you decide to answer questions now without a lawyer present, you have the right to stop answering at any time. ”

He stopped for a second before sitting on the table, looking at them. “You better remember them. Expect me to ask you to read them at any time of the day during the following week. Do any of you know the ten-codes? Aside from 10-20, we all know that one. The abbreviations? The  _ Penal Code of the United States and of the State California? _ ”

“No sir!”

“And that’s  _ exactly  _ why you need to go to the Academy.” He said. “Everyone in this task force is going to be a sworn officer of the law, if you don’t want to do that, the door is right behind you.” Nobody moved an inch at his words. He grinned at them. "Good. Questions?"

"You are not from here, right Sir?" SEAL #1 questioned. He was the youngest of them all and definitely from the East Coast. "New Jersey?"

"Yeah. East Orange. You too?"

"Newark, sir." He nodded, but if the kid thought he was going to get the position by calling their native state, he was so so wrong.

"Huh. Last three people I saw from home that weren't family ended up in jail or dead, so please break that streak for me." That cracked a laugh in the room. "Alright, good to see you are not robots. Any other questions?" SEAL #3 took a step forward, of course. "What is it?"

"If you are from New Jersey and worked as a cop in Hawaii and now here, does that mean you know the penal codes of each state?" He wasn't being rude, he just looked genuinely curious.

"As a matter of fact, yes, I do. When a police officer transfers from one state to another, we have to take a test to work there." He explained. "Each state has it's own regulations and therefore we have to learn them. Anything else?"

"No sir. Thank you." Well, at least he had some semblance of manners.

“Good. Now, I understand you all have landed in Coronado today, correct?”

“Yes sir.”

“Alright. Do you all have a place to stay?”

All but one (SEAL #4) gave a negative answer. 

“Alright. LAPD has agreed that you can stay for the week in the Academy’s dorms. You will not sleep together. You have been randomly assigned a room that you’ll share with three of the cadets so you can see and hear what it is that they do. When you are not here with me or one of the other members you can do whatever you want, but if I hear anything about you causing trouble for no reason in or out of the Academy you will be out those doors before you can even open your mouths.”

“Yes sir.”

“Perfect. Let’s go, I’ll introduce you to the rest of the team.” He opened the door, letting them out of the office he had taken hostage in LAPD.

They crossed through the canteen, the SEALs turning heads around, but Danny couldn't blame them, they were a funny sight, he was sure of that. Especially considering most of them had only learned who himself was and why he was there. 

A lot of people had been angry that he had been the chosen one, someone from the outside and man, wasn't that the story of his life. But Chief García had shut them all with some very placed words.

That had been new.

He tapped on Chin’s window and then Matt’s, Kono was already outside showing Siobhan how to work on the table. He gestured the sailors to stand there as the other two men gathered around.

“Alright everyone. These are: field leader and second in command Officer Kono Kalakaua, she’s the team’s sniper, and will combine with one of you depending on the case. Detective Lieutenant Chin Ho Kelly, in charge of all things related to technology and research. Agent Matt Simmons, liaison with the FBI, profiler and second field leader. And finally Officer Siobhan Dayton, coming from Honolulu PD. You will be on her same rank when you come work with us. As far as partner goes you will spend the first few months partnering with Officer Kalakaua or Agent Simmons, after that you will partner with Officer Dayton.”

He was about to break it off and let them familiarise with each other when SEAL #3 spoke again. “And you, sir?”

He blinked at him, slightly confused. “Sorry?”

“Your name, sir.” SEAL #2 said. A follower, probably didn’t like bearing much responsibility for his actions.

“Right. Detective Danny Williams, second-in-command of the Five-0 Task Force in Hawaii, leader of the LA task force. 13 years in Newark PD, 10 years in Five-0. I will not be in the field except for crime scenes and situations that require my immediate presence such as hostage-holding and kidnappings.” He said. “Alright, now I need to go get some files from HPD, guys, don’t be too rough with them. I do not want to call the Navy and explain why we have injured them before they even started.”

* * *

The tests that they had agreed to go with one of their cases: the severed head in a box, the jewellery heist with a side of Serbian killer and the abusive Thai diplomat from last year. 

Siobhan had asked if she could also take them, to know what she was going to deal with and to understand them better. Danny had agreed on the spot, loving that she would have that initiative after only a few days of having landed.

In the end, he had been right about his assessment of SEAL #3: he had been mildly confrontational, but he did have the best results; someone who questioned things was someone who was thinking and analysing everything around him. And he always knew where the line was drawn, he toyed with it, but never overstepped it.

“We want to thank all of you for coming all this way, but as I said at the beginning we currently only have one spot. You all did well, but one of you did something the other didn’t: he asked questions. He reasoned why he was asking those questions. And therefore, the one joining us is Clay Spenser.” He smiled at the kid, who smiled in return, and it looked slightly less cocky and more genuine than he had seen all week. 

Once the other SEALs had been packed and in a car back to Coronado, Danny showed the newest addition around.

“I talked with Jason. He said good things about you.” He told him.

“Jason? As in Jason Hayes from Bravo Team?” He had a skeptical eyebrow up, which caused Danny to chuckle: the kid couldn’t be more different than Junior, that was for sure. "Are you sure we are talking about the same Jason?"

“Yeah. He did say you were cocky and to keep you in check,” yeah, that sounded like Hayes alright “but he also said you were smart and that you’d have our backs no matter what. And that’s all we want, someone we can trust with our lives and that will trust us with their return.” He told him. “Now get in, they are dying to get to know you better.”

* * *

They had been working together for five days when they their first case came: a heist at LACMA where the Magdalene with the Smoking Flame gone bad, which resulted in 3 guards dead one of which was an ex-cop, 2 injured and a perp down in rendition. 

Kono had stayed at the museum behind to supervise the scene along with Clay. And Matt stayed upstairs with Chin to work on checking the CCTV and traffic cameras and looking up everything there was to know about the painting, Danny had taken Siobhan with him to rendition so she could start seeing how interrogations worked in a Task Force. Clay would go down with him next.

Three days later of working around the clock they had found the fence and brought the painting back to the Museum, the fence with the other two killers back with them to LAPD. They were all looking at jail time.

“Alright! Good job everyone. It’s Friday already, so we can call it a day. Clay, you don’t have to go to the Academy today.” The SEAL nodded, smiling gratefully at him. “Also, Rachel wants to host a lunch to meet all of you, so I expect to see you all tomorrow at mine if you don't. Which I know you don't because y'all have been whining about not knowing what to do.” He announced. “Oh, and Matt, wife and kids included."

"You got it. Kristy wants to meet you guys, too."

"Great, then everyone go home and get some rest. And Chin, Sara is of course invited, too.”

“Hey, wait a moment brah, what about me? I don’t get to bring anyone?” Kono exclaimed, setting her hands on her hips.

“Sure. If you had someone babe. I’ve seen you in love, and this” he did a gesture that went from her head to her toes “ain’t it.”

She huffed, crossing her arms. “I hate you so much.”

“No, you love me. Which is why you accepted to come with me in the first place.” He shot back, wrapping an arm around her waist and kissing her cheek. "And you know I love you too, _sorellina_." She couldn't help the smile that overtook her face at the endearing term she had given her and only her.

“Do we have to bring anything, boss?” Clay asked, following them outside, Siobhan after him.

“If you want to bring desserts and booze, that’s always welcome. And I better not see a deep dish near my house, Dayton.”

“Uncle Lou was right: you don’t know what’s good, boss.” She teased, grinning at him when the man rolled his blue eyes at her.

* * *

“Uncle Chin!” Grace jumped into his arms the second she spotted him, laughing in delight. Grace had had to go back to her off-campus apartment to finish packing and she had spent a last week with her friends there and hadn’t been able to see him. 

“Gracie! You have grown so much!” He lifted her off the feet, kissing her cheek, relishing on her laugh. “So I’ve been told you want to join LAPD, huh?”

“Auntie Kono is a snitch.” She pouted.

“Since she was born. Nobody knows that better than me.” He replied, laughing. “Sara, honey, do you remember Grace? She babysat you a few times when we were in Hawaii.”

“We went for shave ice!” She exclaimed.

“That’s right! Do you want to meet my brothers?” She nodded and followed Grace to the backyard. 

“Hey Grace, where are your parents?” He asked, not entirely comfortable with being alone in the house. It was one thing to be alone is Danny’s home in Hawaii, and a very different one to be in Danny  _ and  _ Rachel’s house.

“Danno is outside with the grill, mum is in the kitchen!” She yelled back.

Well, then kitchen it was. He just needed to find it first. The house was huge.

“Hum, Rachel?” He called into the house. 

They had never been close with Danny’s ex-wife, all of them disliking her for everything she had put him through, but they all knew she still cared for him, even when they were fighting, she would still visit him in the hospital when he was injured and had stepped up when Steve left him: no many ex-spouses who had fought for  _ every  _ little thing as long and as hard as they had would take their ex into their homes and bring them back to health. None of them would move back together in a new city, that was for sure. He would never do it with Abby, not without getting back together and he didn’t see that happening any time soon.

But well, if Danny had been able to forgive her, then he would forgive her, too.

“Lieutenant! Hello!” He blinked at her, almost doing a double take, when she rounded the corner: her hair was shorter and her smile was bright and happy and he could not recall a single time he had seen her like that, she looked like a completely different person. “Did Grace leave you alone?” She sighed, shaking her head.

“That’s fine, she took Sara to meet Charlie and Nahele. And call me Chin, please.” He explained, hugging her briefly. “We’ve brought desserts. Sara wanted to bring something Mexican so you could all try it.”

“Oh, that’s fantastic. Grace and Nahele insisted on making haupia.” She told him. “Fridge?”

“I wouldn’t know, but I don’t think so.” He said. “Do you need help?”

“Not for now. Go outside with Danny and tell my two elders to come help me in the kitchen if they want to eat anything.” 

Her two elders, huh? He was glad Nahele had also found a mother when he found Danny. Just for that, he liked her a bit more.

“Hey brah, need help?” He said, grabbing one of the beers on the table.

“Hey.” he clinked their beers together. “I’m good. Clay texted saying him and Bonnie were coming together, they should get here in another 20min or so. Kono and Matt, too.”

“Alright. Can we talk, then?”

Danny sighed: he knew that after a month of waiting Chin would bring it up himself when he pointedly didn't. “Yeah, I’ll send the kids inside.”

“Oh yeah, Rachel wanted Grace and Nahele to go help her.” He tells him.

“Monkey, Hele! Your mother wants you upstairs. And take Sara and Charlie with you, Uncle Chin and I have some things to talk about.”

They clearly didn’t fool them, but they still took the kids into the house with the excuse of giving Sara a tour of the house.

“Gonna tell me what the hell happened back home?”

“Wo Fat’s wife happened." He spatted before taking a swig. "Just as crazy as he was. And Doris died in front of Steve. She had gone bad Chin. Started collecting money from her mark, stashing it in her fake grave for Steve and Mary. Somehow Wo Fat’s wife got wind of it and came to collect it.” Chin was already having a headache, but he let Danny continue, not saying anything about the way he was telling it, as if he was reading facts out of a report. “Doris left Steve a cipher with the location of the money, so Daiyu Mei took me in exchange of the cipher. I managed to take 4 of the guys down, got shot at the last second. Next thing I remember is waking up at the hospital.”

Chin took a few second to breathe before he spoke. “Wo Fat’s wife? And Doris is dead? What the hell, Danny? Why didn’t anyone tell us?”

The blond took another swig of his beer, looking up at the clear sky. “ Lou, Steve and I agreed on not telling you because you were already out. And we didn’t want to bring you back to that total shit show. As for Doris… I didn’t tell you because it wasn’t my place, same for Adam and Lou. And Steve… Well, I don’t know anymore to be honest. He wasn’t in the right state of mind back then, but I thought he had told you after some time.”

“Right. And your car accident?” There was an undertone of hurt and accusation there, but Danny guessed he probably deserved it.

“It was just that. A car accident, all I got was a concussion, a sprained ankle and bruised ribs, nothing else. It’s not worse than any day at work, you know that.” Okay, so maybe he was skipping some details, but he didn’t want to think about Joanna. He couldn’t. He had lost a woman he had really liked and his best friend in less than six months, and it fucking hurt to know that the Universe was dead set on making him miserable.

“I don’t understand how he left you there, Danny. Barely out of the hospital and he just hopped into a plane with  _ Catherine  _ of all people ?”

“Yeah. Well, he did tell me he only stayed on the islands to solve his dad’s murder and mystery and he has accomplished that now: no more Doris McGarrett with secret missions and ciphers, no more Joe with lies, no more Wo Fat and his family. He’s free. We were never enough, I guess.” He said, and if his throat tightened and his voice was a bit more strained at that last sentence, neither Chin or him said anything about it.

“You don’t believe that.”

“I didn’t.” He replied, slowly, not looking at him. “Then he decided to stay out of contact for over 9 months now, so that tells me everything I need to know: he stayed in Hawaii and Five-0 because he knew that as long as someone related to Wo Fat and/or Doris was alive he would never get to the bottom of it. I also learnt that I fell in love with someone who didn’t care for me aside from what I could provide him: back-up, off-the-record extractions, the excuse of taking the leadership of the task force and a piece of liver.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clay Spenser is from SEAL Team, by the way. So is Jason Hayes.


	7. Chapter 7

**“I didn’t.” He replied, slowly, not looking at him. “Then he decided to stay out of contact for over 9 months now, so that tells me everything I need to know: he stayed in Hawaii and Five-0 because he knew that as long as someone related to Wo Fat and/or Doris was alive he would never get to the bottom of it. I also learnt that I fell in love with someone who didn’t care for me aside from what I could provide him: back-up, off-the-record extractions, the excuse of taking the leadership of the task force and a piece of liver.”**

The Native man turned his head so fast that he heard his neck pop: he had really heard it, right? Danno said he was in love with Steve. Or had been. There had always been so many jokes about their relationship but he never realised they were true, at least on one side. 

“Danny?” He grabbed his arm, squeezing. “How long?”

“After the liver. That’s when I knew for sure, but I guess it started after we got him out of North Korea. I was so afraid we wouldn't fine him and we'd have to leave him there, Chin.” He told him and when the Native Hawaiian man turned to look at him, blue eyes swimming in tears and the saddest smile he had ever seen on anyone. “I guess that just proves I have shit taste in love partners.” The self-depreciation in his voice was so strong it made Chin whine. 

“Danny. No. Whatever is going through his head, it’s not your fault, never your fault. Come here.” He grabbed his beer and left them both on the nearby table, gathering the blond into a crushing hug, holding him close.

How could it have gotten so bad? Was Steve even aware of how much pain he was inflicting on Danny? Did he even care?

“Does someone else know?”

“Rachel.”

“God Danny. Why didn’t you ever say anything? We were there for you. Even when we moved, you still could have called us.” He said, in a rush.

“We are cops, Chin, you know how it is. And a bisexual cop in Five-0? The press would have had a field day.”

“But we are not the press, Danny.”

The blond nodded. “Yeah. But Steve's military, he grew up in there with DADT in full effect, and I’ve been hiding for long enough that it wasn’t hard to pretend I don't like men.” 

It was a big fat lie and they both knew it. God knew how many times he had been close to telling them, but he reminded himself that he could lose his job and therefore his daughter and his son if he was kicked out. 

“Never again, alright?” Chin said as he moved away, pinning him with his eyes. “Promise me. And that you’ll tell Kono. She needs to know too, Danny.”

He nodded: Chin was right. Kono was ohana, she was his little sister.

“Yeah, ok. I’ll tell her.”

“Good.” He rested his forehead on Danny’s. “We are here for you.”

“I know. Always have my back, right?”

“Damn right I do.” He pulled away and smiled at him. “Do _I_ get a tour of the house?”

“Sure babe, when the others get here. I’m not doing it once for each of you.”

And that was it, they picked their beers backup and headed inside, the grill heating.

“Danno, Danno!” Charlie yelled, climbing on the sofa.

“What’s up, baby?” He pushed him softly, making him fall on the plush sofa laughing.

“Can we go outside now?”

“Yeah, go on. But, do not go near the grill.” He said, pointing at him.

“Same goes for you boo-boo.” Sara nodded.

“Thanks Uncle Chin, thanks Uncle Danny!”

The kids raced past them and they headed to the kitchen, relieving the other two of their sous-chef duties. 

Rachel glanced at Danny and squinted at him. “Everything ok?”

Danny gave her a soft smile and squeezed her arm. “Yeah, don’t worry.” 

“Alright.” She might have said that, but Chin knew she didn’t believe them a bit. Not one single bit, but she didn’t push it. “Then make yourselves useful and start bringing the salads outside, everyone should be here within minutes and I believe you mentioned Matt had 5 children? Plus Sara and our is going to be madness, so chop chop.” She had given them each two trays to bring outside.

“Rach, I think you forget I’m not your husband anymore.” Danny said.

“I remember, Daniel. That doesn’t mean I’ll let you do as you please.” She shot him a smirk before turning around. “Clara called. She wants to come visit.”

“I’ll call her back.” He said, letting Chin through first.

Once they were outside Chin talked. “She’s changed.”

“Not really, she’s always been bossy. We’ve just made peace.” He grinned. “And you know the saying. Find a woman you hate…”

“And buy her a house. Yes, I remember.” He finished, his mind going back to a chopper with a bloody Steve.

“I heard that!” Rachel said from the kitchen.

“Again, not your husband! You can’t send me to the couch anymore!” Danny yelled back as he kissed Eddie on the nose. 

“A real pity.”

Chin snickered. He could see why Danny had liked her, they were basically the same: feisty, snarky and quick with their tongues. It also made sense they moved back together, in a twisted way.

Nahele and Grace were sitting on the grass, staring at their phones, the two youngest were chasing Eddie and the steaks were on the grill, seeing that they took the longest to cook and Rachel was bringing down the salads when the bell rang.

“C’mon babe, you wanted to see the house, right?” Chin nodded, following him upstairs. “Rach, you coming?”

“Be right up.”

* * *

Once the house was shown and introductions done and stated that yes, they were ex-spouses and that yes, they lived together with their two biological children and their adopted one, they all split up. Rachel, Chin, and Kristy were commiserating about growing children Chins stating that he didn’t know how they did it with more than one. Siobhan had gone with Grace and Nahele and was laughing with them while watching over the 6 children running around, Matt, and Kono were all drinking together and Clay had remained by Danny’s side.

“Hey boss, can I ask you something?”

“Why did you choose to work with a SEAL?” 

Danny arched an eyebrow before he realised the kid was really asking. “I’ve worked with two SEALs before, and even though you guys are adrenaline junkies, you are the best at what you do. This week’s case? A piece of cake. It was a test run for the governor to see if our structure works or if we need to make some arrangements. In my 10 years with Five-0” Siobhan had made her way to them, eager to know, too. “Hey.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. 

“Hey.” She had taken to Danny as much as she had her Uncle Lou: the man was caring and Lou had promised her that no matter what happened or what troubles she had, Danny would be there to help her.

“In those 10 years in Five-0 I have been poisoned twice with biochem weapons, shot in the chest twice in less than 2 years, an array of broken bones and concussions, been arrested and shipped to a Colombian prison, been against the CIA and the FBI _and_ told of a Navy captain while in the middle of Afghanistan. Plus another whole bunch of things I’m not even allowed to tell you.”

“I was strapped with a bomb around my neck. And a few years later drugged and dropped off into a prison.” Chin offered, raising his hand.

“I was on the run from the yakuza with my ex-husband.” Kono yelled, cheerily. Good, it meant she had healed from that whole ordeal and divorcing Adam. “And I almost didn’t get married because of a nuclear bomb. That was fun.”

“It was not fun, Kalakaua. It was _not_ fun!” Danny yelled, pointing at her direction with the tongs.

Clay and Siobhan glanced at each other: just what had they walked into?

“How are you all still alive? How are _you_ alive?” The Chicagoan questioned.

“Yeah boss, most people don’t survive one biochem attack, let alone _two_.” Clay added. “Also, the burgers are going to be charcoal.”

“I believe it must be sheer dumb luck, at this point.” He chuckled. “But as you can see, a robbed painting is not usually our job. _That’s_ why we need a SEAL. And an Army guy. And someone young who can learn and jump and run.”

“Yeah, we’ve gotten old, brah.” Chin said, clinking their bottles together.

“We can leave it to them. Also, kids come here, food is ready!”

The kids all scrambled to fill their plates as much as they could and moved to sit on the grass, laughing. They had all clearly hit it off, telling each other about their hometowns and their hobbies. Grace and Nahele had decided to stay with the adults. Nahele was talking cars with Matt, both of them talking about some vintage car Danny didn't particularly care about. He was just glad his kid found someone else to talk about things that he loved. Bonnie was holding baby Rose Mary and talking with Kono, Rachel and Kristy. Grace was tucked under his arm as him, Chin and Clay talked.

"Danno don't swim." Grace snickered when Clay suggested they could go surf at some point.

"Shush you." Her father said, pulling on her braid, which made her giggle. "I do swim, I just don't like the ocean."

Clay arched an eyebrow. "And you lived in Hawaii for how long, boss?"

"Too long, rookie, too long." Danny chuckled.

"And yet you stayed near the beach." Chin pointed out.

"Of course. Gracie is here, and where Gracie goes, Danno follows, right?"

Grace laughed before kissing him on the cheek. "Of course. Best father ever. Love you Danno."

"Love you too, Monkey. Now, go bring your mother her dry chicken breast." He handed her the plate with said piece of food. "Rookie, come get your food!" He yelled and neither him or Chin could hold back a bark of laughter when Kono turned around.

Bonnie gave the small girl back to her mother and walked up to them, Kono behind her.

"So, _sorellina_ , still answering to rookie?" The blond teased giving her a steak, before giving Eddie, who had been patiently waiting at his feet, his portion. "Who's a good boy, huh? Clay, what do you want?"

"I'll have chicken too, boss." He took it himself with his fingers, sucking on them as soon as he dropped on his plate.

Danny stared at him, clearly unimpressed, before slapping his hand with the tongs. "Do they teach you 0 manners in the Navy? Is that it?"

"Not sure you can kill someone by having manners, boss." He replied, licking his hand where the tongs had left juices behind.

"That's because you've never been undercover, kiddo." Kono snickered. "Do you know how many times we've had to go in as servers? Way too many."

"Oh shut up cuz, you had no boundaries when we started." 

"You mean she has them now?" Danny inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"Oi!" She swatted him on the arm. "What kind of image are you giving them?"

Bonnie laughed patting her on the arm. "Don't worry boss, we love you anyways." She ducked when the older woman went to flick her forehead.

Danny hadn't had that much fun in well over two years.

* * *

That lunch had been the beginning of building another extension of his ohana. The kids were good at what they did and although it turned out that Bonnie was a younger version of Tani and her own brand of craziness, they still followed orders. Matt had been a great addition to the team, his profiling skills making their jobs much easier. Chin also said it was nice to have someone else who was chill like him, although he might have no used to word ‘chill’, Kono was still a risk-taker, but she had toned it down some.

And she was a great second-in-command, still learning, but with him and Chin was learning fast.

Clay and Siobhan had decided that renting an apartment together made sense: they would save money and they didn't know (trust) anyone else in the city. It also meant they would not keep anyone up with their irregular schedules. Siobhan helped him through his studies and she studied the penal code along with him herself.

They had picked up good kids, that was for sure.

* * *

It had been a little over a month of working together when they brought down an international heroine ring operating in Los Angeles’ port. Clay had been the only injured, a GSW to the leg, which would leave him out of the field for about a month, so he did most of his Academy training then. The very next morning, the Governor made them stand behind her as she publicly thanks them for their good job.

That same afternoon a uniform came to their offices. “There’s a woman outside, Detective. She says she knows you? Uh… Her surname was Mc… Mc…”

“McGarrett?” Danny helped him, dread already setting on his shoulders and cold sweat on his back.

“Yes! Yes. That was it. McGarrett. What do you want me do?”

“Send her in. Thanks, Officer Rubio.” He sighed and waved him away, instantly dropping his head between his arms. He should have known Mary would come after seeing the news. He should have called her himself, but he hadn’t be brave enough to face her, to see Steve in her.

At least Chin and Kono weren’t there: he had sent them all home after the governor was done with them.

He heard the door open and two sets of footsteps. He rolled his shoulders back and stood up.

Rubio left the second he spotted him, leaving them alone, both rooted at their spots on either side of the table. So Mary didn’t know what to say either. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

“Mary.” He said, taking a first tentative step towards her, but she only looked away.

“Why are you here in L.A, Danny? Where’s Steve?” She never held her punches and it was clear she was not going to start doing it now.

“Come sit. Please.” He turned around to his office, holding the door open for her. She plopped down on one of the chair. He sat next to her. “I don’t know where he is.”

“What do you mean you don’t know where he is? Didn’t you leave him in Hawaii, huh?” She glared at him, crossing her arms.

“Me?” Was that what Steve had told her? That Danny left? Was he really that much of an asshole that he lied to his little sister and blamed him to get a free pass? “Mary, I’ve been here for just 2 months!”

“So? You still left! He left Five-0, not you! I thought you cared for him, Danny. I thought you _loved_ him.”

He took a deep breath: he couldn’t get angry at her. Not without getting the whole story out of her. 

“Mary he… He hasn’t sent me a text to even say he’s alive. Not a single one since he left me in his house after getting back from the hospital from being tortured and shot and bleeding to death.” He said, standing up and starting to pace, everything coming out of his mouth without his permission.

“What?”

“He was very clear when he said he had only stayed in Hawaii to solve your dad’s murder and the second he did, he disappeared. I haven’t-I haven’t had word of him for the last 10 months, Mary! And what was I supposed to do? Stay at your old family house because he told me so? A house where I could barely move around because I had trouble getting out of bed, I might say. So yeah, I left, grabbed my kids, my ex-wife and left. There was nothing tying me to Hawaii anymore, and I would say it’s quite obvious by now the one thing that made me stay doesn’t give a shit about me anymore, if he ever did. So do tell me why I should have stayed, Mary.” He turned around to look at her, but what he saw stopped his next rant in his throat: Mary had big tears rolling down her cheeks and she was looking up at him with so much old pain that he couldn’t help but cradle her in her arms.

“What do you mean he left? Left where?” 

He straight up lies to her, saying he doesn’t know, when he does know that Steve flew to L.A. He had never thought, not even once, that Steve had side-blinded his sister like that.

“What did he tell you?”

“Said he was leaving Five-0, that he needed some time to think and figure himself out. He didn’t say anything about leaving Hawaii.” She tightened her hold on him. “I’m sorry. I thought… I thought that without him there you…”

“I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have yelled.”

She shook her head, still resting her head against Danny’s shoulder. “He hasn’t been in contact with you?”

“With anyone. I thought he had told you. I know I should have come visit you when I first got here, but I was too afraid. If I had known he had lied to you I would have come as soon as I had landed, I swear.”

She nodded. She knew that because she knew Danny, better than her own brother, apparently. And Danny was someone who always came through, always was there for the bad news delivery. _Doesn’t give a hit about me_ … was playing on a loop inside her head

“Do you really think so?” She questioned in a quiet mumble.

“Think what, Mary?” 

“That he doesn’t care about you?”

Danny sighed: he had answered that question too many times in the last two months but his therapist should be happy, he was saying what he really thought about that now.

“I don't want to, Mary but... Look, he first few months I kept telling myself that he would at least write a postcard, that he didn’t mean it when he had said the only thing he had stayed for was for John. Five months later I quit Five-0 and agreed to come to L.A. 8 months later nothing in the mail. I checked both mine and his. Nothing. Not a single text or missed call. And there’s still nothing in it, Junior checks every single week.” He let her go, drying his own tears. “It hurts so much Mary, because I love him. Even now, I still love him.”

She sobbed and hugged him again, holding him.

“He does. He loves you Danny.” She said, refusing to believe otherwise. “All he ever talked about when he called me was you and your kids. I don’t know what’s going on through his head, but he does love you.”

“I wish I could believe that, Mary. But he’s lied to you, he left without telling my children or Nahele goodbye. He left with Catherine, Mary. I think that explains a lot.”

Her sharp intake of breath was like a knife through his guts. “What? With Catherine?” What the fuck was her brother thinking going away with his lying ex-girlfriend and leaving the one man who had loved him unconditionally until his heart got broken? But then again, Catherine and Steve seemed to make a perfect pair, now. Maybe he had taken pointers from her about lying.

After all the pain Doris' lies had brought into their lives… Steve knew how she felt about lying. She thought she knew how he felt about it, too. 

“I’m sorry Mary. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Danny, no. Don’t apologise. It’s not your fault, it’s his. He’s the one who lied to me, not you. You’ve always been nothing but honest.” She hugged him again. “Can I come by one day? I’d like to see Grace and Charlie again.”

“Of course. You are welcome whenever. Nahele… Nahele came with us. He’s living with us.”

“Nahele? He came with you and the kids? And you said something about your ex-wife?” Danny had just been dropping bomb after bomb

He nodded. “Yeah. Rachel and I realised that we are terrible for each other as partners, we are too similar and when we get angry we say things that hurt too much, but we are good as friends. She took me to her house to take care of me when Steve left. And she was offered a position in Santa Ana with her company, so I took the LA task force. And I… I couldn’t leave Nahele there all on his own. Not after we had become his family.”

What would she have given to find a man as loving as Danny, who took everyone in and cared for them with all his heart? 

“And if you come by next week, you can see Chin and Kono, too. They’ll be happy to see you. And you can meet the new guys.”

“I’d like that.” She checked her watch and stood up. “Sorry Danny, I need to get going, I have to pick up Joan from the pool. And listen, it’s not your fault my brother is an asshole. And it’s okay to be angry at him, you need to know that.” She kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll see next week.”

“I'll be waiting for you, Mary.” He kissed her head. “Bring Joanie, okay?” She nodded before hugging him, breathing the familiar scent. "Call if you need anything. I'm here for you."

She pulled away and smiled. "Right back at you. I know you've got Rachel, but if you ever feel like talking or you need a babysitter, call me." He nodded before walking her to the door, and then to her car. "Thank you, Danny."

"Don't. It's what you deserve."

He watched her drive off before going into his office, sliding to the flood, shivering.


	8. Chapter 8

**He watched her drive off before going into his office, sliding to the flood, shivering.**

He took his phone out and tried to text the cousins, but he was trembling too much, so he called Chin first, and then Kono, asking if  _ could you come, please, I need someone, I need Eddie, please. _ They arrived at the same time and helped him move so he would have his back against the sofa. Eddie ran straight to him, sensing his distress and fitting himself between his legs and resting his head against his throat, whining softly. The cousins slid to the floor next to him, hugging and shushing him, reassuring him that he was not at fault and that he had done right by Mary, telling her everything. Thanking him for calling them for help: the Danny they had left in Hawaii would have never done that, and it was a testament that the therapy was working.

They both refused to let him drive so when they got to his home, Kono driving the Camaro, Chin driving his car behind them, Rachel was the one to open the door. One quick look at her ex-husband told her all she needed to know and moved aside, informing them that the kids were outside playing and if she should call them, but Danny shook his head, clearly not wanting his kids to see him like this. Kono stayed behind to tell her what happened while Chin put him to bed, his breath catching on his throat when he saw the two gunshot wounds on his chest, the liver scar, plus multiple long scars along his back and chest. The twins scars on his wrists from the shackles a usual sight by now, still painful to see, a remainder that they hadn't been there. He never asked. He didn't need to ask to know what those had been from. 

As soon as he was under the covers, Eddie jumped onto the bed and curled next to him, Danny burying a hand in his dog’s hair and holding him close.

“Take tomorrow off, Danny." Chin said, pushing his hair back. "Paperwork can wait and we won’t be assigned another big case for another two or three days unless we are about to die.” He said, squeezing his shoulder. “Call me if you need to talk, alright? Or if you want me to come.”

The blond nodded, his blue eyes tired. “Thank you, Chin Ho.”

“Always on your corner.” He reminded him before closing the door.

The next day was Saturday, which meant his children were all home. They made him breakfast and spent the whole day next to him on the sofa, watching family films. Rachel joined them as soon as she got back from her run to the office.

No one mentioned Steve. They didn’t have to.

At night, when they were alone, he told Rachel about Mary’s visit, and that he had invited her to visit them if she wanted, or needed. Rachel kissed his head, saying he was a great man and to tell Mary that she was free to visit whenever and that if she ever needed help with Joanie for babysitting that she could bring her daughter here to stay with them. 

Then it had been Danny who kissed her, on the forehead, thanking her for being so understanding towards the younger woman. She simply stated that she was not going to hate her just because she was Steve’s family, not when she was hurting just as much as Danny because of the same man.

Sometimes they wished they could have kept their love alive, but it was on these instances that they knew they still had it, it had simply taken a different form. A much freer and forgiving one.

* * *

The warm, humid air of Hawaii hit him on the face the second he set foot outside of the plane, even on the jet bridge he could feel it, the way it clung on his skin and made it a bit harder to breathe. He had been away for almost 11 months now and he had missed his home: the sun, the beach, the food, the people. He hurried through customs and baggage claim, getting into the first taxi and heading straight home, feeling almost giddy with excitement.

He hadn’t told anyone he was back, he wanted it to be a surprise.

He paid the taxi driver and walked to his house, already smiling at the thought of seeing Danny and Junior and Eddie. He had brought so many things back for them. For the whole team, and for the kids. He hoped they would like them, there was some of them that he wasn’t too sure about and…

His thoughts came to a screeching halt when he saw the state the front yard was in: there weeds everywhere and the flowers were either dead or dying. What happened? Danno was good when it came to gardening, he had been the one who took care of the plants when he moved in. 

He followed the stone path and opened the door, he flicked the switch on, but nothing happened. Frowning, he switched on the flashlight on his phone and his breath caught in his throat: every single surface was covered in dust. 

Not a weekly dusty. That was months and months and months of dust that had collected everywhere because clearly no one had been living there.

What…? Where was Danny? Junior?  _ Eddie? _

He hurried outside, feeling like he couldn’t breathe.

He sat down on the stairs, bringing his head down between his legs, gasping for air.

Where were they? True, he hadn’t told them he was coming back home but he had assumed that at the very least Eddie would be there to greet him with kisses.

He couldn’t tell how long it took him to regain his breathing, but as soon as he could stand on his feet without swaying he headed back to the streets, bags long forgotten where he had let go of them inside the house and he stopped the first taxi he saw.

“Iolani Palace, please. As fast you can.” He muttered. He stared at his phone, his thumb hovering over Danny’s name, but he ended up scrolling down to Lou’s name. It still took him a few seconds to press down on it, closing his eyes and praying that Lou answered.

“I take it you’ve been to the house.” Was the greeting line he got. No ‘hello how are you’s or ‘hey you are back’s.

And he didn’t need to see him to know the older man was angry.

“Yeah.” He didn’t elaborate more, feeling that if he did Lou would hang up on him. Can I… Can I come to the Palace? To talk?  _ Please? _ ” He needed to see someone. Someone he knew.

“I have some minutes before I need to head out. Where are you?”

“Two minutes out.”

“You’ve got ten minutes.”

He had messed up. He wasn’t sure why, he had told them that he needed to be alone to get himself in order, to be better, and in order to do that he had to get away. Away from Five-0, from Hawaii. And they all had seemed to understand

Lou was waiting for him outside of the Palace. He gulped when he walked up to him, suddenly feeling like an small child.

“Hi.” He mumbled.

“That’s all you have to say? Hi? After almost a year that’s all you gonna say to me?” Lou said, his voice painted by anger and disbelief.

“I needed to get away, Lou.” He replied, feeling a bit defensive.

“Whatever. That’s not what you came to talk about anyway. Junior moved in with Tani after a month. He’s on a case now with Tani.”

“Is Danny out? Is he here? Can… can you call him?” He asked. He needed to see his partner, needed to see that he was fine.

“Danny is not here.” Okay, so maybe he could wait for him inside until he got back, or go back to his house and... “He quit Five-0 after 5 months.” He looked up, startled, at those words. What? Left? “He wasn’t cleared for field work. The doctor said another shot to the chest, with or without vest could very well be his last one.” Lou was angry at the man, he had left and promptly forgotten about them for over 11 months and now that he was back he expected them to receive him with pats and hugs? Loving words and kisses? He was not going to get an ounce of understanding from him. Not for now, at least. 

Why didn’t Danny tell him his condition was so bad? And if he wasn’t in Five-0 what was he doing now? He had been born to be a cop, he was one of the best detectives he had ever seen, it must have been kill him, not being able what he loved to do.

“What? He hasn’t told me anything.”

“And why would he, Steve?  _ You _ left.  _ You _ didn’t answer his texts.  _ You _ made the choice of leaving him behind, not him.” He shot back, his tone cutting and harsh.

And Steve felt like crying. Yelling. Hitting something. It wasn’t fair. He had needed to get away. He couldn’t talk to Danny. He didn’t understand it. Danny knew how to deal with his emotions, he had a good network behind him, he had his family to support him, he had his children to lift him up.

But he swallowed those words, knowing they wouldn’t do any good right now.

“Is he… Is he still at his place?”

Lou growled at that: Danny’s departing had been all over the news in Hawaii  _ for weeks.  _ Articles and articles about him, how he arrived on the island, the craziest things he did with his partner, the time he had landed a plane on a beach and gave Steve his liver. Fanvideos with him in interviews or pictures snapped from phones had flooded Youtube. The hashtag #AlohaDetectiveWilliams had been a whatever-Tani-called-it topic for days. Gifts had flooded the Palace to the point they looked like a flowers and gift shop. Even now they would find a lost flower behind a shelf or a thank you note under a table.

And for Steve to not know that? It just meant he hadn’t even checked the news to see how they were doing.

“Danny moved to the mainland with the kids.” He snapped at him. “I need to go. If you are still here tomorrow, the kids will want to see you.”

Lou walked passed him, already knowing that Steve would not be there the next day. Not if he still wanted to mend whatever it was that they had, or didn’t have.

* * *

He walked back to his house, eyes glued to his phone, he was scrolling through the numerous links that came up to “Danny Williams Five-0”. All about them Danny leaving Hawaii, moving to LA to run a task force there.

He opened a random link, and it was the California's Governor and L.A. mayor welcoming Danny.

Danny was gone. He had taken Charlie and moved to the mainland without telling him. Why would he have done that? What about growing old together and sitting on his beach watching the sunset? What had happened to those plans? At what time did their plans change so much that Danny had just packed his life and left? Had he never really seen Hawaii as his home? He had to know that he was loved, right? Not just by the team, but by the people of Hawaii. Surely he had seen that with all the internet homages. And what about him? Did he not love him? 

Lou’s voice echoed in his head as he climbed the stairs of his house, staying until tomorrow… He eyed the bags in front of him.

He was going to book a flight, the latest he could, and he would drop by the Palace in the morning to see them and apologise if his radio silence had hurt them, to explain himself and to deliver what he had brought for them, although now he wasn’t so sure they would want it.

* * *

There had been no hugs and no kisses, no ‘welcome back’s or ‘glad you are okay’s. That’s how much he had hurt them. He had apologised, had tried to explain them why he needed to be alone, but he knew from their expressions that they didn’t believe him, that they didn’t get it.

Not even Junior had tried to hug him, and that stung.

He congratulated Tani and Quinn for their new positions and they both had thanked him, but it was Tani who brought up the big question.

“Are you going to see Danny?” He nodded, not trusting himself to say something that would make it worse. “Don’t hurt him. Or next time I see you I’ll shoot you between the legs.”

He was sure she wasn’t kidding: Danny had been Tani’s mentor, and she loved him like a second father.

He left the bag with all the wrapped gifts by the door: if they wanted to keep them they could, if they wanted to throw them away, they could also do it, and he would never have to know.

* * *

The flight to L.A was probably the longest flight he had ever taken, he felt like time wasn't running, checking his watch every five minutes. He would land there close to midnight. He booked a room for two days in the first hotel he found online: he figured that was enough time to know if Danny would let him explain or would just throw him out.

It was fairly easy to track the new task force down, all he had needed to do was enter type “L.A. ta” and it already came up. He paid the taxi, checked in and sat on the small bed, his eyes staring at the horrible paper wall, the red numbers of the clock burning in his eyes.

He fell asleep at 05.15.

He woke up four hours later. 15-20 years ago four hours was a luxury, now it left him tired and grumpy which was not a good combination with an angry Danny Williams but he had to go. He had to explain his partner why he did what he did.

* * *

“Uh, Lieutenant Kelly?” He looked up with from the table, where him and Siobhan were going through the ballistics report, and saw a uniform by the door.

“There’s someone here for Detective Williams. Another McGarrett. Uh… Steve McGarrett.” He announced.

“I’ll be right out. Do  _ not  _ let him go.” He said. “Siobhan, shut this off and keep doing it in your office, please.”

“Uh… Sure.” She did as told, but before closing her door, she looked back at one of her mentors. “Will Danny be ok?” 

“I don’t know. Can you call the lab and ask them how they are doing with the evidence?”

“Yeah, of course.”

The man smiled at her and then went to the entrance, steeling himself when he saw the ex-SEAL, sitting on the small reception chairs, wringing his hands together. With a sigh he stopped in front of him.

Steve blinked when dark boots appeared on his vision field. Not Danny. He looked up, and he blinked when he saw Chin staring at him, his lips pressed into a thin light.

“Chin.” He rose to his feet, already knowing he would not get hugs on this side of the ocean either.

“Let’s go. We are not doing this here.” He simply ordered, turning on his heels and going back inside, Steve right behind him.

He tapped on Kono’s window and he didn’t need to even say anything, as soon as she spotted Steve behind her cousin her eyes hardened and her lips took the same set as Chin’s.

She opened her door and followed them to Danny’s office. The blond was in a meeting with the LAPD and LAFD Chiefs regarding their last case. He should be done soon, but they should have enough time to rip Steve a new one. And if he thought an angry C.O. in the Navy could be frightening that was because he had never seen an angry Kalakaua-clan member. Let alone two. Together.

As soon as the blinds were down and they had sent a message to Matt and Clay to stay clear of Danny’s office, Chin turned to look at his ex-leader.

They stared at each other for almost five minutes. Chin could feel Kono vibrating inside her skin, no doubt ready to maul Steve away in the most painful way she could come up with if left to her own devices

“Steve, what are…?”

Before another word could leave his mouth, he saw a fist flying past his face, whooshing, and connect with Steve’s jaw. It was hard enough that it almost made Steve stumble back.

“Ok.  _ Now _ we can talk.” She growled, shaking her hand. “Why are you here?” Her voice cold and cutting and Steve had never seen her like this with him. WIth anyone she cared about.

“I… I need to see Danny.” He mumbled, still not looking at them. Had he really messed that much that even those who had left before were angry at him?

“Why? You had no trouble leaving him behind.” Chin snarled, as he set a hand over his cousin’s arm to avoid another punch, not for Steve, but for her hand.

At that his head snapped back up, eyes wide. “No! Why would you say that?” They knew what Danny meant to him, how could they even imply that leaving his best friend behind had been easy? Danny had been the one constant in his life for a decade, and then he had had to leave him alone to get his own head in some semblance of order. Leaving Danny had been the hardest thing he ever had to do.

“You left him, in your own house, after he almost died! Because of your family drama, I might add.” Kono yelled, swinging her arm to encompass the room. “Do you know how many times he’s called us after a nightmare so bad he went into a panic attack? You know how Danny is! Why would you leave him alone after almost dying?” She had tears in her eyes now. And she hated it, because they made her feel weak and because Steve didn’t deserve them. 

He deserved nothing from them right now, not anger, not pain and certainly not tears.

“I needed to get out! Danny understood that! He knew I was coming back!” He yelled right back, ignoring how his chest had tightened at her words

“Oh, so he knows that, huh? Because from where we stand, he doesn't know that. None of us do because you  _ disappeared _ .” Chin poked him on the chest. “You didn’t call him once. You didn’t even tell us you were leaving. You didn’t say goodbye to Grace, Charlie or Nahele.” He growled.

“I…”

He never got to finish that sentence because the door opened with a slam, bouncing off the wall and only being stopped by a hand.

Chin took a small step back when he saw the look on his current boss: there had only been one time he had seen Danny with that murderous cold rage enveloping him like a cloak, and it ended up with a meth ring burnt to the ground.

Steve, instead, had taken a slightly more defensive stance, his own mind going back to a house in the middle of nowhere and a man tied to a chair and Danny so angry he hadn’t even attempted to control him, knowing it was a fight he would lose.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Danny snarled, walking right passed him and went straight to Kono, examining her hand. “You okay,  _ sorellina _ ?”

“Yeah… Just pissed.”

“Ok.” He kissed her cheek. “Chin, take Kono and go outside. I’ll deal with this.”

“Danny…” He started, not wanting to leave the blond alone with the source of his pain, but one gelid glance stopped the words from coming. “Call if you need anything.” He said instead, squeezing his shoulder as he set his arm across Kono’s shoulders.

* * *

They stayed outside in the debriefing room, neither of them wanting to be too far away from Danny. The rest of the team came a few seconds later.

“Is that boss’ old partner?” Clay questioned. He had heard enough bits and pieces to put the puzzle that was Danny’s time in Hawaii together.

“Yes.” Chin said, curtly.

“Will he be okay?”

Kono smiled at the youngest man. “He’s got us now.  _ Ohana _ .” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm thinking of writing a short fic of those two idiots being on quarantine, should I do it?


	9. Chapter 9

**Kono smiled at the youngest man. “He’s got us now. _Ohana_.”**

“What do you want, Steve? I’m busy.” He growled, rounding the man to sit on his chair.

“What do you mean what I want? You left. You left Hawaii. Grabbed Charlie and came here. Without telling me. What was I supposed to do, huh? Accept it and move on?” He growled, slamming his hands on the table, glaring at his partner. 

“And why the fuck should I have stayed, huh? Tell me, what do I have there that I can’t have here? It’s hot, it’s humid, there’s the ocean and lunatic criminals who need to be stopped.  _ Exactly  _ the same as Hawaii. And let me remind you, my daughter lives here now, the same daughter I moved to that god forsaken rock over a decade ago.” He could not believe his guts: he had cut all communication with them,  _ with him _ , but the second he was back he wanted everyone eating off his hand again. Well, that was no more. That should have never been.

“And what about me, huh? I don’t exist anymore?” Steve questioned, his fingers now gripping the edge of the table so hard his knuckles were white.

Danny let out a hysterical giggle before raising to his feet. “You? Why the fuck should I consider you a part of my life anymore, huh? You are long gone from it, Steven. You wanna stay in L.A? Stay in L.A. Wanna go back to Oahu? Then go back. I don’t care. You are not my partner anymore, I don’t have to keep you safe. You are not someone I need to care about anymore.”

Steve felt like all the air had been knocked out of him. Danny was a good fighter and his punches hurt like a bitch, but his real talent had always been his silver tongue, cutting and precise when he wanted

“You don’t mean that.” He whispered. “You can’t mean that!” He sounded desperate even to his own ears, and a year ago he would be have embarrassed to even admit it to himself, but therapy had helped him,  _ was  _ helping him, he knew it was okay to feel hurt and betrayed.

“I can’t? Tell me, why the fuck I should care for someone who has never cared about me in the first place? I’m sorry to disappoint you  _ babe _ , but I’m not that stupid.” Babe. It used to be a term of endearment, but all Steve could hear in it now was poison and cutting edges. It was meant to hurt him, and it definitely did the job.

“What are you even saying? Of course I care about you!” He yelled back.

“No. You only cared about what I could give you: access to your father’s murder scene. That’s it, that’s all I ever was to you, another little soldier pawn on your chessboard for you to use when was needed and to sacrifice later on. That’s using, not caring.”

“STOP SAYING THAT!” He swat his hand around, sending the pencil holder flying through the room until it slammed against the wall. They both froze for two seconds before turning to the door, expecting Chin and Kono to burst in, but no one came: they probably knew it was better to leave them alone for the moment. Steve turned to glare at the blond, icy blue eyes staring back at him. “Even Daiyu Mei knew you are the most important in the world to me! She took you, kept you alive to make sure I gave her what she wanted.”

“Yeah, that's because she didn't know killing me would have given her exactly the same results.” Danny snarled, not caring about how cruel that line was. 

“What are you even  _ talking  _ about?”

Danny huffed, angry at Steve for playing stupid. Angry at Steve for leaving. Angry at Steve for coming back. And angry at himself for letting it affect him like this. His therapist would have a field day if she were seeing this.

“You made it very clear why you stayed on the island, remember?” He hissed. “Your dad, wasn’t it? You just kept us close because we were useful, and the second you didn’t need us, you just upped and left. If that’s what caring looks like with you, I don’t want it.”

Steve took a step back, struck by those words: this wasn’t Danny being angry at him, this was Danny being hurt by him. And he hated it even more, because angry Danny he knew how to deal with, but hurt Danny was as volatile as they came, one never knew what he was going to hit you with. Literally. It could be a swinging fist or a shoe straight to your face, but if he chose words, he would go for the kill.

And he had clearly made his choice the second he had seen him.

“I didn’t mean that!” He whispered, almost to himself. “I thought you understood!” He said, louder, tears blurring his vision.

“Oh, I understand it just fine! You never saw us as family or ohana or whatever word you wanna use. We thought we were, we thought _you_ were, but we just weren’t. Not to you.”

“No! No. I… I lied, ok? I had to lie to get out of there.” Danny’s arched eyebrow said he wasn’t doing anything to help his case and yeah, his wording had been as poor as they came. “Just… Just let me explain.”

“Explain? Don’t you mean  _ lie  _ again? I always thought you were lousy at it, but you clearly are a master at it, perhaps it’s genetic.” He spat. “Like leaving people who care for you behind.”

“Shut up! You don’t have any idea of what you are talking about! No idea!” He cried, looking at Danny without seeing him now that he had tears gathering in his eyes. “Leaving you behind is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do!”

Danny cackled at those words: he had figured a long time ago Steve didn’t think of much him as a Detective or as a cop, that he was just a city boy out of his depth, but did he really think he has that stupid? That he wouldn't find out he left him behind to go back to Catherine?

“Oh yes, I’m sure leaving with your ex-girlfriend was really hard.” Danny could feel jealousy rearing its ugly head inside his chest: why did Catherine get to keep Steve when he had been the one to piece him back and hold him together every time she came and went? What had he done that angered fate so much? “Did you renew your Mile High Club card membership?”

“Of course not! I didn’t... She wanted to come with me, but I didn’t let her. I left her here in L.A. and I went alone!” Steve replied, drying his eyes. “She wasn’t the one I wanted by my side, Danny! I wanted  _ you _ !”

Danny snapped his mouth shut at those words, his reply dying on his lips. He stared at the man before him, he was as tall as ever but the way he had his shoulders sagged and his head bent forward he looked small.

It made him angry: he had no right to look like this. He had been the one who inflicted pain on everyone who loved him. 

“Then why the fuck would you say you only stayed for him, huh? Why didn’t you reply a single one of my messages?” When no word came out of Steve lips, he walked around the table and shoved his ex-partner hard enough that his step faltered. “Answer me! I think at least I deserve some answers!” He yelled, going to shove him again, but Steve swatted his hands aside.

“Because I put you in danger! Wherever I go, something always happens, and I couldn’t risk you like that. Not again!” 

“I’m a perfectly trained and capable cop, you absolute asshole!” Steve almost let out a pained whine. Danny wasn’t hearing him. He heard what he said, but didn’t look past the words. He hurt so much he wasn’t letting himself understand the implications of what Steve was saying. “I signed up for this. Literally! It’s basically in my contract!”

“I’m pretty sure it doesn’t say ‘Get tortured to an inch of your life because of your partner’s family history!’” Steve exploded, answering Danny’s mood in kind. “And I know you are capable! Fuck, Danny.” He grabbed him by the wrists when Danny tried to shove him again, but the blond started to struggle almost immediately. “Stop. Stop!” He tightened his grip and it was then that he felt the scar tissue encircling his wrists. “Do you know how I felt seeing your car in flames, Danny? Do you?” The blond looked away at that and Steve loosened his hold some, not ready to let go yet. “I thought I had lost you, Danny.” 

“So what? You get me out to then fucking disappear, what difference does it make, huh?” He yanked his arms back and took a step back, shoving his hands deep inside his pockets, clearly hiding the scars. “Do you have any idea of how much it hurt me when you wouldn’t reply? I’ve waited for almost a year, Steve,  _ and I got nothing _ . What was I supposed to think, huh? If you didn’t want to lose me, answering or sending a text would have been a good way to prevent that.” 

Steve's breath caught on his throat at those words and he felt new tears blur his vision. He let out a desperate giggle, tipping his head backwards. He had lost Danny. He had tried to shield him so much that he forgot who Danny was. Not just to him, but the essence of who Danny Williams was: the father, the protector, the one who refused to let someone be in pain alone. The man had fucking moved into his house to be there for him and what did he do in exchange? He told him the only reason he had stayed on the island because of his dad and then ignored his messages. 

“I've really fucked up, haven’t I?” He sat down on a chair.

“Yes. Yes, you have.” Danny snapped back, but his tone was more subdued. Tired. Defeated. Steve hated it: it reminded him of getting a call from HPD that Danny was in the hospital after a fatal car accident. “I wasn’t asking for a full update every day, Steve. All I wanted to know was if you were fucking alive, if we still meant anything at all to you.”

“Of course you do!” He leaned forward again, like a whip. “Danny, I love you. Please don’t doubt that. Please.” Had he screwed so much that the person he loved the most in the world thought he meant _nothing_ to him? How could he come back from that and make him understand that no one would ever hold a dearest place in his heart than him? That no one had ever held it in the first place.

“How? You still have given me nothing. Why didn’t you reply? Why didn’t you say anything?  _ 11 months _ Steve.”

Steve licked his lips. He needed to do this right. If he wanted to get Danny back, he needed to explain why he had kept his distance.

“I… I was afraid, Danny. I almost lost you four times in two years. Four. Times. And one of them was because of me. And I should have talked to you, Danny, but I was terrified that I couldn’t make myself leave. For you,  _ for myself _ .”

“And I get that!” Danny voice rose again in volume. “Goddammit Steve! I said that I understood your reasons to get out of Oahu, of Five-0. That doesn’t explain leaving all of us hanging.”

Steve stood up and started pacing. “I couldn’t Danny. If I talked to you, or to someone else about you, I would be back on the next plane home and at that point we weren’t fit to take care of each other. _I_ wasn't fit to take care of you.” He confessed. “And after a while…” He trailed off, knowing that his next words would be his make or break moment.

“What?”

“I was afraid, Danny. That you’d want nothing to do with me. That  _ this _ ” he waved the hand between them “would be my new reality. So I ran.”

“Why come back, then?”

“I found myself in the Colombian jungle staring at petroglyphs and all I could think was how you saved me and drew a fucking heart in the air for me." He rounded the table, dragging the chair behind him. He sat down and bent forward, resting his forehead on Danny’s knees. He felt him tense under him, and he could not blame him. “I’m so sorry, Danny. I never meant for you to think that I don’t love you.” He apologised, the words heavy and foreign in his tongue, but if there was someone who deserved them, that was Danny. “Forgive me, please. Please.” He gripped and the man’s pants, not letting go, begging for forgiveness.

A year ago he would have been  _ ashamed _ of letting someone see that side of him, even Danny: lost, broken, teary. Now he was better, he knew he didn’t have to be indestructible all the time, that he could properly mourn his lost family, yet he knew he still wouldn’t have acted like this with anyone else.

Danny sighed, staring at Steve’s back, hearing him mutter apologies over and over. But he couldn’t forgive him. Not like this, not that easy. Because he was still furious at him, he was still hurting and still clinging to his anger and if he let him get away with it once, how could he know he wouldn’t do it again when things got hairy again?

He pushed his shoulders back, and he ignored the way his heart clenched at the small shiver that ran down the ex-SEAL’s spine.

“Steve, let go.” He growled, pushing harder and the man finally let go, looking at him with red-rimmed eyes.

“Please, Danny.”

The blond shook his head. “I can’t Steve. You have no idea how much it hurt. And not just me: the team, the kids,  _ my _ kids, Nahele. You lied to Mary, Steve! And  _ I _ had to be the one to tell her that you fucked off god knows where and dropped all communication! Your own sister, Steve.”

He still couldn’t believe that he had lied to Mary. After years and years of hating his mother for her lies, he had done exactly the same. If Mary told him to go fuck himself and to never come back it would kill him as much as Danny’s rejection. He understood if they did, though.

“I’m sorry.”

“Charlie kept calling me over and over to his room almost every night to ask me why you didn’t love us anymore and I had no answers because I didn’t know. Grace is so hurt she doesn’t even talk about you. And Nahele? You were his mentor, he looked up to you, Steve, and you sent him a miserable text.”

The man looked away, ashamed: how could he have thought that him disappearing would be ok? How could he have thought there wouldn’t be consequences? That he could come back whenever he wanted and that everything would as it had always been?

And now he had lost everything dear to him.

“I… I’m sorry.” He’d apologise as many times as necessary.

“Not good enough. Too little, too late.” He snapped. “11 months, Steve, and you think you can just show up here and everything will be forgiven and forgotten?”

“No, of course not!" Not anymore, not after seeing his home, _their_ home completely abandoned. "I understand it, Danny. I do. I-I just want another chance to prove you that I love you, more than anything. And everyone else. The kids, Mary, Chin, Kono, the guys in Hawaii. Please. I’ll do anything, I promise.” 

Danny studied him: he had never seen Steve so wrecked. Not after North Korea, or the Taliban or Joe or Doris. He had never seen him cry like this, either. He had never seen him cry, period. He had heard him, pillow-muffled whimpers and sobs, and he had wanted to check on him, but he knew Steve wouldn’t have wanted that, so he never did.

Maybe he should have.

“Anything?”

Steve nodded gingerly, hands back to gripping Danny’s knees. “Anything.” He promised.

“Then for the next 10 months and 22 days you work on that. Everyday, if needed.”

He let out a sigh of relief at those words: Danno was giving him a new opportunity to do right by everyone. “How?” He asked.

“I don’t know, Steven. You got yourself into this mess, you can sort yourself out of it.” Danny replied, standing up. “And just a heads up, I’m calling Mary in two days, and if you haven’t gone apologise to her, you can go back to wherever you came from.”

His eyes widen at the implication - Danny and Mary had regular contact. Danny had been taking care of his little sister because he had been the asshole who had hurt her over and over.

How could he have left a man like Danny behind? 

He stood up too and wrapped his hand around Danny’s wrist. “I promise I’ll do right by all of you. By  _ you _ . Even if it takes me a whole lifetime.” He vowed.

Danny pulled his arm back, gently. “You better if you really want to be a part of this again, Seve.”

“I’m sorry. I…” He was interrupted by a sharp knock on the window. “I’m gonna go, you have more important things to do. I’ll… see you around, I guess.” He mumbled, taking a step back.

Danny didn’t give a reply: no whole minutes anymore.

With a sigh Steve turned around and he was already pulling the door open when he let go of the handle and went back to Danny in three long strides. Once in front of him he hugged him, briefly.

“I love you.”

Danny didn’t say it back, but he hadn’t expected him to.

And with that, he abandoned the blond’s office. He ignored the glances filled with hatred from Danny’s new team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys aren't disappointed by it after all that build up!
> 
> Also, just a heads up, my laptop charger is acting like a little bitch so I might no be able to update until the 29th when, I supposedly, should get the new one. Quarantine sucks, guys. Been here for over 40 days and I am so ready to go back to work.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so now I've got a new laptop but my little sister is coming back home to stay with mum and my little brother and now I have to go back to my own place (I moved back with them because my Wi-Fi was wonly as hell) and I just realised I perhaps won't have any Wi-FI because the guy who was paying for it skipped town without paying rent, bills or anything. So yay.
> 
> We should be coming out of quarantine around May 9th, but it is unsure and we've already been in quarantine for 44 days.

**And with that, he abandoned the blond’s office. He ignored the glances filled with hatred from Danny’s new team.**

Kono didn’t bother with knocking on the door, she simply pushed it open, strolled into Danny’s office and sat down on the table, facing him.

“Do I need to knee him on the stomach next time I see him?” 

Danny chuckled, patting her on the leg. "No, babe. He's… sorry. He really is." Kono frowned at those words: Danny didn’t forgive him that easily, right? “No. I’m still furious at him,” she sighed, of course Danny knew what she had been thinking. “and maybe he thought his reasons were right, but they weren't, and they hurt us all.”

“So?” Chin questioned as he came inside, leaning against the, now closed, door.

“So, I told him that if he wants us back, he has to work on it for the next 10 months and 22 days. If you don’t want him to… Well, just tell him.” But even as he said those words, they left a bitter after taste in his mouth: it would probably kill Steve if they told him to fuck off. He would respect it, but it would kill him.

The cousins glanced at each other before they sighed.

“Of course we want him back, Danny.” Chin said, coming up to them. “We are more angry at how he treated you and the kids than him not telling us. We are the ones who left first, he really had no obligation of telling us he was quitting Five-0.”

Danny gave them a smile before tugging them both into a hug.

“Thank you.” He said.

“Seriously brah, you need to stop thanking us.” Kono said before she pulled away. “He looked like he cried.” She mumbled, and Danny couldn’t help but relax at the obvious worry in her voice: he had feared that they would really reject Steve. He had seen first hand how angry they were at him, for his own sake, true, but it had hurt them that the ex-SEAL hadn't even bothered to try and contact them to tell them.

“Yeah. That’s how I knew. I’ve never seen him cry, not once in 10 years, and he broke down. And let’s face it, he’s got zero poker face.” Even if he had accused him of the contrary, Steve was a terrible liar.

Chin nodded, understanding. “And what now?”

“Now we wait and see what his move is. And not a single word to my kids about this, ok? Not until he decides what he wants to do.”

Kono rolled her eyes. “C’mon boss, the three of us know that he wouldn’t be here if he didn’t want you back.” She pointed out because really, if there was someone who Steve would never allow himself to lose without fighting back that was their blond haole.

“Yeah well, I’m not taking any more chances. Now, do we have anything to do?”

Chin sighed: sometimes he admired Danny’s ability to go from raging mad to eerily calm in seconds or the other way back, but that one was a much more common occurrence to the point that it was expected, even people who didn't know him could sense that Danny was a ticking bomb if you pushed too many buttons. Some other times, though, he hated it with a passion, because it meant he was burying his feelings because he didn’t want others to know what he was really feeling, to _bother_ them with it. And he had been doing such a good job with that, lately: he had been calling them for help when he felt he was going to have an anxiety attack, or when he had had one and needed to be picked up. Sometimes it had been when he needed to talk with someone. 

He just hoped that Steve’s arrival would not be a step back.

“Yeah, we caught a late case. Murder suicide.” He sighed, pushing himself up and going back to the main room.

“Murder suicide?” He stood up and going outside and standing next to Matt, who simply offered him a smile and a pat on his arm. “That’s LAPD’s jurisdiction why did they send it to us?”

“The victims... They are undercover cops.” Clay explained, his knuckled were white from how hard he was gripping the table. “And Melissa doesn’t think it’s a murder suicide.”

“Fuck.” First Steve and then this. What a great day. “Ok, let’s go. Chin, dig up everything you can on those two and their assignment, we need to go who we are up against. Let’s go.”

* * *

Steve went back to his motel and face planted on the bed, his head a storm of thoughts that didn’t linger and that only made him more and more distressed.

How could he have thought that Danny would wait for him? For that long? After ignoring him for months and months. Would he have been so understanding? Probably not. He hadn’t been with his dad or his mom when they pushed him away in order to protect him. He had done the same thing his parents had done and that he had hated them for.

And he knew how much he had hurt Danny when he said Steve didn’t care for him  _ or _ his children. He had been careless, he had taken them,  _ all _ of them, for granted and he had almost lost them. And he was being very tentative on that almost, because one wrong move and they might just kick him out of their lives forever.

And Mary. When did he decide that lying to her was a good idea? He knew how she felt about that. He felt the same way for god’s sake! It had taken him almost 30 years to forgive his dad for sending them away, for splitting him and Mary and he just decided to do the same thing! He still wasn't over Doris' lies. Or Catherine's, for that matter.

When did he decide that alienating the two people who meant the most to him was a not going to come back and bite him in the ass?

He grabbed his phone and stared at the picture of a laughing Danno that stared right back at him. Fuck. There had been no trace of this Danny on the one he saw today, and that was entirely his fault.

He googled the new task force again, this time opening the link from the official website of the City of Los Angeles.

Officer Clay Spenser.

Officer Siobhan Dayton.

Agent Matt Simmons.

Det. Lieut. Chin Ho Kelly.

Detective Kono Kalakaua.

Det. Lieut. Danny Williams.

He smiled upon reading Danny’s new rank. Kono’s, too. But especially Danny's, because he could not think of one single person who deserved it more than him. They had never talked about it, like many other things they should have talked about but didn’t, but he knew Danny hadn’t gone back to HPD when he was arrested for Jameson’s murder. Not that it was too surprising, not with HPD’s anti-haole attitude, but if he had, he could have taken the Lieutenant exam ages ago, he could be Captain now (could detectives be captains? Was that a thing? He didn't know, because he never bothered to learn about it) But he hadn't. For him. Guilt came crashing back, because it was just one of the many things Danny had done for him that he hadn’t appreciated as much as he should have.

He shouldn’t have been as surprised as he was when he saw Chin and Kono in the task force, Danny had that magnetic pull that made everyone want to be near him, because they felt like they were in a judging free zone. Sure, Danny would criticize everything from how one took their coffee to the shoes they were wearing with a comment on how they had their pizza, but when it was the important stuff (I killed the man that killed my wife when he was down, I slept with yakuza royalty without telling anyone) , Danny never really judged anyone he loved.

Kono being there made sense, he knew she had finished with her hunt and joined LAPD. He only knew because Mary had mentioned it in a message, that it had been in the news when they made the final arrest. He had wondered why she hadn’t gone back to Hawaii or to Chin’s Task Force, but he hadn’t asked. If she hadn’t told him or Danny,she probably didn’t want them to know. Maybe he should have, to make sure she didn’t think she wouldn’t be welcome to join Five-0 again.

Chin, on the other hand, had been a shock: what could have happened to make him give up his position as the leader of his own task force? He imagined it had to do something with Abby, seeing how she hadn’t been there not was her name on the website. Maybe it shouldn’t have been  _ that _ surprising. Him and Danny had always been close, ever since Meka’s murder they had always stood up for each other, and if Danny had offered and Chin had been having problems in San Fran… Well, he could understand why he took it.

Siobhan had been a surprise, because he never thought Lou would ever let her out of his sight after she was kidnapped. However, deep down, he knew Lou probably hadn’t put up a fight because firstly, Siobhan was her own person and a trained officer of the law, and because it made sense to accept and offer to work in a task force, where her pay was going to be much higher than what she made as a beat cop in HPD. And secondly, Danny was there, and Lou knew that Danny would take care of her no matter what, and that if she got hurt, which would happen sooner or later, Danny would be there for her too.

The other two he didn’t know about, but it was easy to see that Matt Simmons was the Asian-American man, all of him screamed FBI Agent, which surprised him, because Danny was not known for his great relationship with the FBI, if anything he had been famous in Hawaii for his animosity towards them. Not that it wasn't completely warranted, he had never been a fan either, but after how they kept harassing Danny and Clara because of his brother, he downright hated them.

The other one, Clay Spenser… The website might have said “Officer”, but he could recognise a SEAL when he saw one. And everyone in the SEAL knew about Ash Spenser, nobody talked about him, but they all knew about the books. If the FBI guy had shocked him, Danny hiring a SEAL after complaining for a decade about their lack of self-preserving skills and overall rule-skipping had left him completely astonished. 

Danny had been the one who insisted on Junior enrolling in the Academy, so he wasn’t surprised that he made Spenser enroll in LAPD Academy.

They seemed to be a good team and they clearly cared for Danny if the nasty glares they had directed his way when he left were anything to go by. He was glad for Danny, but at the same time he realised that Danny could move on without him, he had other people who filled his life now, he didn’t  _ need _ Steve anymore.

And if he didn’t start doing something right at that moment he would not want him back, either.

Without a second thought he grabbed his phone, his wallet and the key to his room and stormed off to the lobby. Thirty minutes later he had rented a car and was on his way to pick it up. Once he had the car he looked for the biggest stationary stop in all of Los Angeles and bought enough paper, envelopes, drawing pencils, erasers and pens for it to be suspicious, but people probably thought he simply was a dad on a last minute ran for his children’s school projects.

He went back to his room and left everything on the bed before rushing out again, heading to the same house Mary had lived for the past 20 something years. 

He knew she was inside because he could see her in the kitchen from where he had parked. She looked healthy. Happy. 

Maybe he should go, and leave all of them alone, so that they could move on without him making them worry and unhappy every time he thought he knew better. But if he did that, he could kiss any chance of getting Danny back goodbye. He had been clear, he had 48 hours to go see his sister or otherwise he could fuck off.

And completely losing Danny was the last thing he wanted. So with that thought in mind, he got out of the car, walked up the house and rang the bell.

He held his breath until the door opened, his little sister gaping at him.

She was nice enough to slap him on his uninjured cheek.

“Get inside.” She growled and he shuffled inside, feeling like a small kid for the second time for the last 30-odd hours. “Sit.”

He sat on the sofa, watching Mary pace around the living room, with one glance she marched upstairs. He could hear a shushed conversation, probably telling Joan to stay in her room. After a few minutes, she was looming over him.

“You  _ lied _ to me.” She hissed. 

“Mary, I’m sorry, I…”

“Oh, you’re sorry! I guess that fixes everything, right?” She glared at him and he could see Doris right in those eyes. “You let me think that you were in Hawaii. That you were going to therapy and living with Danny and Junior. What were you thinking?” He opened his mouth to reply but shut it when she glared at him again, realising it was a rhetorical question. “Do you know what I did the second I knew he was here? I went in there and yelled at him for leaving you behind! And after that he had to tell me my brother had been lying to my face for almost a year and not only that, that you stopped talking to all of them. You cut Danny off! What the hell Steve?”

He dug the back of his hands on his eyes. “I was scared, ok? That if I told you I was going away you’d be worried sick about me, and after Daiyu Mei took Danny I got… a little paranoid about having you guys near me.”

“So what, you thought pulling a dad on us was a good idea? You thought that leaving me in the dark,  _ again, _ would solve everything? Like mom did? Like dad did? Like Uncle Joe? Like mom when she went to Mexico? You really believed that would make everything better?”

“Yes!” He yelled, standing up. “Yes, I did! I thought I was keeping you all safe! And I ignored Danno’s messages because I knew the second I heard his voice I would rush back and he didn’t need me all messed up and having to take care of me when he was injured. He deserved better. He  _ deserves _ better. I want to be better for him. For you. For the kids.”

“You idiot, what he needed was his best friend! He understood why you left, but you cutting all communications with him made him worry even more!” She yelled back, shaking her head. “I just… I can’t believe you would ever do something like that. Ignoring him, lying to me… You know how I feel about lies!”

“I know! And I’m sorry, I truly am!” He grabbed her hand. “I really thought I was doing the best for you, Mare.”

“So  _ ask  _ next time! Tell me what’s going on with you, the good  _ and _ the bad stuff! If someone is coming after you I think I deserve to know it, especially if it’s related to mom!” She poked him on the chest. “Because sometimes I feel like you and I don’t belong to the same family!” She cried, turning around not wanting him to see how her eyes were full of tears.

“No Mare, that’s not it. Of course we are family! That’s why I stayed away. Do you know what was one of the times I was the most scared?” She shook her head when he approached her and Steve couldn't help the pained sound that escaped his lips as he sat down again. “It’s when you were taken, Mary. I was a nervous wreck. I couldn’t go through that again. You, Danny and the kids… I can’t… She almost killed Danny because of mom and her money. I almost lost him over money, Mary!”

Mary looked at his brother: she had never seen him so agitated about… anything, really. Not even after he came and told her about Doris' death. Danny had taken Joannie to the park so they could be alone, but while Steve looked upset and with more bruises than she ever wanted to see on her brother, he had not been, at any point of the conversation, close to tears.

“You  _ love _ him.” She said, sitting down on the sofa. It wasn't a revelation, everyone knew it, but it was the first time they addressed it head on. “You love Danny.”

“Yeah. Of course I do. He knows that.” Except Danny had even doubted that because he thought Steve had never cared for him in the first place.

“No, I mean you are in love with Danny.” Steve blinked at her, almost looking surprised at that statement. “Please don’t tell me you just realised that.” Who on earth thought her brother was fit to run a task force when he couldn’t even see his own feelings?

“No. No. Of course I knew. But I thought no one else knew. How did you…?”

Mary huffed. “You always talk about him. Even when you were with Cath or Lynn or whoever, you always talked about Danny the most.” She stood up and pulled at his collar, making him stand up too. She stared at him before shaking her head: she might end up regretting this. “I’ll forgive you, because I know you really are so stupid that you thought you were doing the right thing, but if you lie to me one more time, even a small lie, you can just go away and not come back.” She said.

“You are?” He looked down at her, hopeful and surprised in equal parts, because he really thought she’d be unable to give him a second chance after he went silent on her for the second time of their lives.

“No, I said I  _ will _ . If you make an effort. If you spend time bonding with Joannie and helping her with her homework, she wants to learn how to surf, you can teach her. If you help around the house without forcing your Navy habits onto us. If you continue with your therapy, because that part better be true.”

“It is! It is. I haven’t lied about that.” He quickly said, drawing her close. “I really want to be better for you.” He promised, pausing for a moment before talking again. “You said help around the house.”

“You think I’m letting you out of my sight? No way in hell, I will make sure you do right by everyone. And if I have to drive you to UCLA so you talk to Grace, be sure that I will.”

“I’ve rented a car.” He pointed out. “Thank you, Mary.”

“Don’t thank me. I’m doing this for me, for Danny and the others, not for you. Not yet, anyways.” She pulled away. “Rachel is coming to pick up Joan in about ten minutes, so unless you want her to demand some sort of explanation, I’d leave.”

He felt a hot knife go through his guts at that name. Rachel? Danny’s ex? That Rachel? They were back together? What was he doing here then if Danny had already really moved on? He really should have left. Shouldn't even have come.

“Do not even think about it.” Mary’s voice cut through his thoughts. “I know that face, you are not running away.”

“What?”

“Don’t ‘what’ me? You know you were about to bolt or something. What’s wrong?” She frowned, her eyes still angry but worried, too.

“Rachel. She’s here. Danny and her… Danny is… with Rachel, so I don’t…”

His little sister frowned before forcing him to sit down. “Steve, breathe. They are not back together. They are simply housemates so they don’t have to keep shuffling Charlie back and forth every time. They act like a family, but they don’t sleep together. They don’t even share a room.” She frowned at a passing thought, but it could wait. 

“They are not back together?”

“No. They aren’t. They both agree that they just don’t work well as a couple, so friends it is.” She gave him a quick glance over. “You good now?” He nodded, breathing. Danny was not back with Rachel. He didn’t have to worry about him getting a broken heart again. “Okay, go to wherever you are staying, pick up your things and come back here and we can talk because you have so much to explain, Steve. And from there you can work on putting your life back together.”

* * *

Two hours later found him sitting Mary’s living room, a steaming cup of coffee in front of him and Mary watching him as he cut the paper in perfectly exact rectangles. 

“Why did you leave with Cath?” He shrugged, not even glancing up.

“I didn’t. Cole sent her, he thought I loved  _ her _ .” He had barely seen him and Danny interact, so he hadn’t known the feelings he harboured for the blond man. “When we got here, I told her she couldn’t come alone, that this was something I wanted to do by myself.”

“Liar.” Steve did look up then, frowning: she said i teasingly, but she had also been very clear on what would happen if he lied again. “You didn’t want to do it alone, you  _ thought _ you had to do it alone.”

He kept silent for a moment. “Yeah.” He agreed, softly. “Do you… Do you think he’ll ever forgive me?” He asked.

Mary sighed, reaching over to wrap her hand around his arm. “Danny loves you, Steve. He’s angry, he has  _ every _ right to be angry, and it might take a while, but I’m sure he will. But if you really want him back, and I know you do, you will have to apologise to Grace first.” She smirked. “Good luck with that, because that girl she’s stubborn as her dad.” She knocked on the table. “I’m going out tonight. You better be here when I come back tomorrow.”

She didn’t kiss him on the head or hugged like she would have last year and his chest tightened as he realised that, yet despite all the pain he caused her she was still trying to be supportive.

“Love you.” He said, not turning to look at her.

Mary paused on her way to the door before smiling, even if Steve couldn’t see her. “Love you too, big bro. Even when you are an asshole.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, Melissa, the M.E. comes from Criminal minds too! She's LAPD's M.E, so I decided to go with her.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS! I AM BACK! It took a fortnight to get someone to come install the Wi-Fi.  
> One the bright side, I have written some more chapters for this one, but to be honest my brain decided to be more invested on the Shifter!AU, and I started with a Soulmate!AU, too. Tried the quarantine fic, but it didn't go anywhere so I switched it to Soulmates, because why not?

Two days later Danny arched an eyebrow at the envelope on his table, his name scribbled in a very familiar handwriting.

He was quite early, now that his car was back with him he didn’t have to go in later to drive Nahele to the Garage, and the kid seemed to love his newfound independence. He left his bag, his wallet and car keys on the table and went to fix himself a cup of coffee. Once that was done he sat down on his chair, took the envelope and opened it.

He stared at the pencil drawing on the front: a very detailed depiction of the Watts towers, Steve signature on the right bottom corner. He couldn’t help but smile at it, at the effort that Steve had clearly put in it.

He turned it over and stared at what it was on it.

_**1/43** _

_**Hey Danno,** _

_**I‘m in L.A. I was thinking of visiting Mary and Grace. Do you think Grace is angry at me for leaving? I’m gonna stay here for about a week, figure out what I’m going to do and go next. I was thinking perhaps Montana, go see Joe’s ranch, and then Canada.** _

_**I’ll tell you when I figure it out.** _

_**Say hi to the kids for me, please.** _

_**I love you,** _

_**Steve.** _

  
A… postcard? Now he was even more confused. It was clear that this was the first of another 43 postcards, but why had he written them that way? Had he really been planning on sending them when he left? Or was it just a trick? Had he already written them and now he was just sending them because he had fucked up?

He sighed, rubbing his eyes. The gesture was sweet, he had told Steve once that Grace had taken him to the Watts towers and that he did, in fact, like them. It had been a small comment, over the phone, and he didn’t really think Steve would remember.

He clearly thought wrong.

He opened the drawer and carefully put the postcard inside.

Danny was about to throw the envelope when he felt that there was else something else inside. He pulled it out.

It was a small note, half the size of the postcard and the paper was much cheaper, so probably an afterthought.

_**I know I fucked up. Big time. And I’m sorry, you are the last person who deserved it, you’ve always been there for me and when you needed me I ran away because I couldn't cope with everything that had happened. When I saw your car in flames my heart stopped, Danny. I thought you were dead, and then you almost died in my arms. And I didn’t know what to do. I never meant to hurt you, not like this. Or to make you doubt of how much I love and care for you and the kids.** _

_**This is what I should have done instead of just disappearing on you. On the kids. And the team.** _

_**If you have told them that I’m here and if you want them to know, I left another two for Grace and Charlie with Officer Rubio. If you don’t, that’s alright, I understand.** _

_**I also wanted to say thank you for taking care of Mary and Joannie. I'll never be able to prove how much that means to me.** _

_**I love you,** _

_**Steve.** _

He sighed. It was true, he hadn’t told the kids yet, but he knew that if his two biological children got something and Nahele didn’t, it would only make matters worse, for everyone involved. And it was not fair to the poor boy.

The note seemed sincere enough, but he still had doubts that Steve wouldn’t fuck off to the middle of nowhere if things got hairy again, and just thinking of how hurt his kids were right now was enough to fuel his anger for a lot more months.

Simple postcards were not going to cut it.

Pushing his hair back he stood up and made his way to the entrance. Rubio and Soo were there, talking. He knocked on the window, and they both straightened up. They were both still young, probably the same promotion as Bonnie.

“Good morning, how’s your mother Phil?”

“Much better, sir.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Hey Eduardo, the man from a few days ago, he left you two letters for me, right?” He asked.

“Yes, Lieutenant.” He gave them to him, smiling. “Can I ask you something, sir?”

“Of course. What is it?”

“It’s about Officer Eze and Pepple, we heard you guys were brought in and…”

Danny nodded. “Yeah, but unfortunately this is still an ongoing investigation so I can tell you guys anything yet. I’m sorry. Were you friends?”

“Not really, I knew Officer Eze because our nieces are in the same class.” Eduardo said. 

“I’m sorry.” He patted him on the arm, spotting Matt coming in. “I’ll see you around guys. Hey.” He smiled at him.

“Hey. How long have you been here?”

“30-40 minutes, give or take. I woke up early so I thought I would just get started on paperwork.” He didn’t, but it had not been his idea to get sidetracked by his old partner.

“I see. Can I run something by you about the case?”

Danny blinked, slightly surprised, he was not used at someone asking, they mostly just… did it. “Yeah, of course man. What is it?”

“You said you wanted to look into LAPD? What made you think it’s an inside job? There was no indication of them knowing the unsub. Sorry, perp.”

“You can call them unsubs, that’s no problem.” He smiled. “Hey rookies.” He grinned at them when they came in, laughing.

“Morning boss. Morning Matt.” Bonnie said, handing them a box with donuts.

“Trying to bribe me, Dayton?” Danny joked. “Gather around. Chin will be here any time soon and Kono is going down to the lab before coming here. Matt was asking why I wanted to look into LAPD because as we saw at the crime scene there were no signs that they knew their attackers, but somehow they knew they were there. Clay, can you please turn on the bloody table?” He grumbled.

“Of course boss.” He grinned at him and did as told. “What do you want me to look for?”

“We have been granted access to I.A. cases, the Detective Bureau and Cold Cases. Let’s start with I.A.”

“You think there’s a mole?” Bonnie questioned, frowning: it was a very bold statement to make with no evidence to back it up.

“No.” He shook his head. “I _know_ there’s a mole, we just need to figure out who.” He tapped on the folder when Clay brought it up. “I’m afraid this is going to be a lot of office work so we’ll divide the work in teams. Matt this time you’ll pair with Kono when you need to go out, if nothing else comes up you will work on the cold cases. Bonnie, I want you to work with me, we’ll take the Detective Bureau.”

“Hey, sorry I’m late, accident on the road.” Chin said, leaving his bag in his office and missing the envelope on his table. He rounded the table and settled next to Danny when Matt moved, squeezing his arm.

“That’s fine. You are barely late, babe.” He returned the squeeze, looking up at him. “Are you ok with taking I.A.? If not, Bonnie and I will take them.” Chin was the one who made the most sense, he knew how those bastards operated, because they all operated in the same way, but he would never force him to do it if it was too much for him.

“No, I can do it, don’t worry.”

“Ok. So you and Clay will work on that. Bonnie and I will go through the Detectives files and Matt, you might want to go get Kono from the lab and go down pick up the files from Cold cases.”

“You got it.”

* * *

On the third week since Steve arrival he got another postcard, and a small note. There was a cellphone number and short text written on it.

_**I promise I’ll pick up and answer texts every single time. I’m sorry I was a coward.** _

_**I love you,** _

_**Steve.** _

With a sigh, he had entered the number and threw the note away.

He had bought a small folder to keep the postcards: they were all hand drawn, and he couldn’t throw something that Steve had clearly put so much effort in, even if he was still angry at him. The second had been a picture of Joe’s tree and the third of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building in Regina, Canada.

That one had taken his breath away: he had drawn it from a riverside, sketching the reflection on the water, too.

He still hadn’t decided what to do with the Charlie: he was too young to really understand why Steve left in the first place so there was no way he could understand why Steve had gone dark on them, all he knew is that his Uncle (his only uncle, because Rachel was an only child and he never met Matty) had left them and forgotten about them.

Two weeks after the first postcard he decided to tell his elders.

He had told them at different time, because their situations were so different: Grace had adored Steve when she was a child, because _‘he makes you happy, Danno!’_ and it had been her idea to get him a Christmas sock. Nahele hadn't known him for as long, but he had looked up at Steve from the second the man decided to give him a second chance.

He had decided to pick Grace up from the University for dinner on a random calm Wednesday and they went to a small diner not far from where they were. They talked about her classes and her friends, how much they (playfully, she had assured him) teased her because her dad was the leader of the Task Force.

He hadn't said anything about why he had taken her out for dinner, it was a fairly normal occurrence, he just slid the letter to her.

She recognised the hand writing as soon as she laid eyes on it.

“ _How long has he been back?”_

“ _About two weeks now.”_

“ _You didn’t tell us.”_

_He took a sip of his beer. “No. Maybe I should have, but I wanted to see what he was going to do. Stay, leave…”_

_She nodded, understanding: Danno hated it when someone hurt them. And while she hated it when she was younger or when he was overprotective of where they went and with whom, this once she was glad he had taken the matter into his own hands._

_“Have you read it?”_

“ _No. It’s for you, I have no right to read it if you don’t want me to.” He explained, taking her hand in his. “I know he hurt us,_ you _, but please read it, ok? Take as long as you need, but please, do it.”_

“ _Why are you defending him? He hurt you so much, Danno.”_

“ _Yes, he did. And he knows that, now. He’ll work on making things better with us, he knows he has to if he wants us to take him back.”_

“ _You’ve talked with him.” It wasn’t a question, his daughter was such a smart cookie. She’d make a great detective, one day._

“ _Yes. He came by the task force. We uh, we fought, I guess is the best word to describe it. And he explained why he left. It wasn’t a good enough reason, the same thing his parents did and said, but that’s no excuse, he knew that was the wrong way to do things, yet did it anyways.” He told her. “He’s staying with Mary, she apparently also set things straight with him.”_

“ _Good.” She didn’t say anything else, and Danny didn’t press, he just asked her to not tel Nahele yet, that he wanted to do it himself, because the kid deserved at least that much._

He knew she hadn’t opened the letter yet.

=p=

For Nahele he took a similar approach, deciding to pick him up for lunch the day after Grace. They met for lunch every Friday with no exceptions unless Danny was out on a crime scene or in a meeting, but no one liked to schedule meetings on a Friday. 

“ _Hey kid, you ready to go?”_

“ _Yeah, Danno. See you later guys!” He yelled, waving at his colleagues as he left with his dad._

_They crossed the street and went to the sandwich shop they liked to go, one that had clearly seen an opportunity in overworked and hungry cops because they were open 24/7 and had been for the last 50 years._

_Once they were seated and had their food in front of them, Nahele spoke._

“ _You said you wanted to talk to me. Have I… done something wrong? At home?” His brown eyes were open and anxious, as if he was expecting to be kicked out and boy, they really needed to sit him down and talk to him._

“ _Of course not, kiddo. No. Something happened. With… with…”_

“ _With Steve.” He finished for him. “He’s back. I know. I heard Rubio talking with Morenco, he said a guy came visit you, that Chin picked him up, there was shouting coming out of the task force. It wasn't exactly hard to imagine who that was.”_

_Danny let out a breath he didn’t realise he was holding, running his hand through his hair. “Jesus. Why didn’t you say anything, kid?”_

_Nahele shrugged. “I figured you had a reason for not telling us, so I decided to wait.” He looked down for a couple of second before looking at the blond man. “Why didn't you tell us?”_

“ _Because I wanted to see whether he was going to do something about it, or not. The last thing I wanted was to give you false hope and then for him to smash it. Again. I also told the guys not to mention it to you. I’m sorry, I know I should have told you straight away, but if I can prevent something from hurting you kids, I will always do it.”_

_Nahele offered him a smile, shaking his head. “I’m not mad, Danno. I understand. Why now, though?”_

“ _Because he’s trying, which knowing Steve, is something. And not only with us. Mary said he's actively helping around the house without forcing his habits, he's involved in Joannie's school. I know he's talking with Chin and Kono. That he's talking and making amends with the guys back in Hawaii. As much as he can with him being here." He explained. "Whether that's enough or not for them is another topic, but it doesn't involve us. Now, I won’t let him see you unless you are okay with it. He doesn’t know you are here with me. And it certainly won’t be this week, ok?”_

“ _Ok. I… I do want to see him.” He said, his eyes not wavering when he looked at Danny. “Hear what he has to say. I need to know why-why he didn't..." He trailed off, incapable of wording his hurt, not that Danny needed him to, he understood. He understood it all too well._

“ _I know kiddo, I know.” He rubbed his head, chuckling when he glared at him and it seemed that there was a bit of Rachel and Grace in those eyes._

* * *

‘Come for lunch. There’s someone you need to see. And bring your wallet, because you are paying.’

‘ **Time?’** The answer came almost immediately.

‘12.30.’

‘ **Ok.’**

‘ **Thank you.’**

‘L **ove you.’**

He didn't reply. He couldn't. Not yet. Maybe not ever again.

He switched the phone off, hoping that this was not going to come back and bite him in the ass. He knew Steve had left letters for the cousins, too, but he was not going to get into the middle of it, they were all grown up and like he had told his eldest, it didn't involve him unless they wanted him involved. Besides, he knew that if he was there the conversation would be about him and how Steve’s going radio silent had hurt him and not about their own issues with the man’s action.

Or the fact that Chin had left.

Or that Kono had done even worse than him and disappeared in the middle of the night without telling no one.

And while he was really grateful that the cousins having his back on this, there were things that Steve and him had to talk on their own, with no one staying outside his window ready to intervene if things got out of hand, because if things did get out of hand, well, they would have to work through that again. The had managed that first time, right?


	12. Chapter 12

**And while he was really grateful that the cousins having his back on this, there were things that Steve and him had to talk on their own, with no one staying outside his window ready to intervene if things got out of hand, because if things did get out of hand, well, they would have to work through that again. The had managed that first time, right?**

Clay was on the table, going through one of the cases from I.A. Chin had left him alone working with it and it felt good to know that they trusted him to work on things he wasn't sure about on his own: he didn't exactly know how I.A operated and Chin had been teaching him a lot of things, sharing parts of his experience with them, but never going full in with it. And he respected it, whatever it really had been, if he had been part of Five-0 and then given his Police badge back I.A had clearly been in the wrong.

He didn't look up when the door opened, a greeting already on his lips when he realised that the footsteps weren't from one in the task force. He looked up and Officer Soo and the guy from last time were there.

“Uh, Mr. McGarrett is here to…” Philip started.

“ _Commander_ McGarrett.” Steve interrupted. But he had earned his rank, so Clay understood.

“Oh. Excuse me Commander, I wasn’t aware! Thank you for your service.” 

“Oh, ah, thank you for yours.” He said, slightly taken aback. He clearly hadn’t mean to come out as rude, and he certainly hadn’t been expecting that answer. “Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett.” He introduced himself to the other man.

“Special Warfare Operator First Class Clay Spenser.” He took his hand, and if the older SEAL realised he applied a bit more strength that was necessary, he didn’t let it show, but then again, McGarrett had a reputation of being a little shit, according to Jason and Ray.

“Bravo Team, right? With Jason?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Commander McGarrett is here to see Lieutenant Williams.” Soo interrupted, clearly not wanting to be there with them, not that Clay blamed him: McGarrett might have gotten old, but he was still...commanding, he wondered how the hell had he and Danny been partner for 10 years without killing each other. “Is he in his office?”

“No, he’s down in rendition right now. I can ring him to come up if you’d like, Commander.” Clay suggested, retreating his hand and Soo nodded, before announcing his leave.

“No, that’s alright. I can wait. I’m a few minutes early any ways.”

“On time is five minutes late, huh?”

McGarrett chuckled, nodding. “Yeah, exactly. I’ll… let you be. I know Danny can be a bit of a pain with the paperwork.” He smiled and headed for the blond’s office. “Nice to meet you, man.”

“Uh, you too.” He gave him a small smile, but even he could tell it was somewhat forced.

* * *

Clay hadn’t known what to do when he found himself alone with the man: on one side he had, like most young SEALs, idolized Steve McGarrett. The man was a legend, he had brought down some of the most wanted criminals and arms dealers of the world. And then he had accepted to run a task force that, somehow as he later was made aware of, involved biochem weapons, even more arms dealers, drug dealers, diplomats and a whole other array of murders.

But on the other, when he had learnt out that he had left his partner behind, in his beach and badly hurt and that then he had cut all communication with his old team, including Danny… The idealised vision he had of the man had crumbled into dust. He didn’t know exactly what had happened, but he knew enough to know that Danny had had anxiety attacks about it, and they had been bad enough that he couldn’t come to work the following day. It had only happened twice, but that was already two times too much in his mind.

He didn’t seem like a bad person, and he knew he was trying to make amends and get Danny’s forgiveness, but he still had his doubts that someone who had left before wouldn’t leave again but it wasn't his place to say anything: he didn't know him, he didn't know Danny that much either, he didn't know how deep their relationship was, either.

* * *

Steve didn’t have to ask why Clay had been so stiff with him, if they loved Danny a quarter of what he loved him, he understood the views they had of him: the one who left their leader on a beach, alone and hurt. He couldn’t blame them, he knew that if someone had treated Danny the way he had, he would, at the very least, maim them.

He hoped he could really make it up to them.

Without much thought, he slid another envelope under the keyboard, making sure it stayed hidden for the time being.

Steve was on his cell when he heard Danny yell at someone on the phone. The door opened all of a sudden, Danny spotting him and they both froze.

“Fuck!” Danny groaned. He had completely forgotten about him and lunch and Steve could see it in his eyes. “I'll call you later and there better be some documents for me." He hung up and looked at the other man. "Fuck, Steve.”

“It-It’s ok!” Steve stood up, raising his hands. “Danny, it’s ok. I understand.” He grabbed his jacket and folded it over his arm, standing by the door. “Look, just… call me when you are done with the case, ok? I’m not going anywhere.”

“No, Steve, c’mon. Stay. We need to talk. Like civilised people.” He ran his hand through his blond hair, and Steve realised he was letting it grow again.

“Danny… You are clearly busy. Call me when you are free, ok?” He took a step forward and before Danny could react, he hugged him. “Love you.”

Danny sighed, sagging in the embrace, but not _against_ Steve like he used to do, before he gently pushed him away. “No. We said to have lunch today. We are on break anyway. Sit.”

“But your lunch…” He complained, but still took a seat.

“We have to wait for lab results, so I’ve got time.” Danny said as he sat down on his chair, groaning.

And then, silence washed over them, not knowing what to say that wouldn’t spark another yelling match.

Danny watched him: he had put on some weight, his shoulders weren’t as hunched as they had been, clearly not carrying the weight of the world on them, and his eyes were much livelier, like when they had met, even if they had that touch of fear and sadness that Danny knew was for them. For him.

“You uh, you are letting your hair grow.” Steve said, never one comfortable at being in silence with Danny. He had missed his voice so much.

“Yeah.” He ran his fingers through the sides.

“It looks good.” He mumbled, not able to meet his eyes.

“Thanks. You stopped dyeing.” He pointed out. His hair was still dark, but it had a lot more grey than when he left.

“Yeah. I didn’t… want to, any more.” He said, softly. “I uh, I brought you something.” He said, reaching inside his pocket. “You don’t have to keep it, it’s just something I made.”

Danny sighed before he stood up, rounding and sitting down on the table.

“Mary has mentioned her basement looks like an arts and crafts studio now.” He said, underhandedly letting him know that he knew where he was living. “What is it?” He extended his hand out, making a grabby motion. “C’mon, we don’t have the whole day.”

Steve nodded before he put a small, velvety object in his palm.

It was a football plushy toy. It wasn’t bigger than his hand and it was really soft and squishy. He looked down at it. It was red and had a big K stitched in white, leaving the middle red, and when he turned it over 50 was on it.

He arched an eyebrow at Steve: everyone knew he was a baseball guy.

“They day you introduced us to Gracie, we uh, we were at Kukui High, at the football match.” His ex-partner explained. “Despite the shooting, it’s still one of my favourite days.”

Danny nodded, now understanding the meaning of it. And upon closer inspection, he could see a double stitch or a missed one in a couple of spots. He left it on top of the table.

“Thank you.”

It was an incredibly sweet gesture he hadn’t been expecting. He poked at it, his memory going back to the next day, when Steve got the Governor to trample Rachel’s plans to get him away from Grace.

He took the soft toy again and thumbed the numbers. Steve didn’t add anything else and Danny really wanted to ask. Had been wanting to ask for almost a decade.

“Steve?”

“Yeah?” He leaned forward a bit, clearly focusing all of his attention on him. And a part of Danny, buried under all the anger, hurt and resentment, had been craving for Steve undivided attention. Had wanted him back so badly that was now taking everything he could, trying to fill the void as fast as it could in case Steve left again.

He wasn’t forgiving him yet, of course not, a week did not make up for a year of disappearance and pain.

“Why did you talk the Governor about my visitation issues?” He asked. “You didn’t have to.”

“No. I didn’t have to. I wanted to.” He pulled back again, running his hand through his hair. “You thought you were alone in the island, that you only had Grace, that the cousins and I didn’t have your back. And I hated that. Because Hawaii meant everything to me and you hated it. And I wanted you to see it as home, too, not only the place you had to be at, but a place you _wanted_ to be at.” He confessed. “And I didn’t want you to be so angry all the time, it wasn’t good for you.”

“You mean for the team.” He mumbled, his voice bitter.

“What? No!” He stood up, still agile as ever (and that was _so_ unfair, Danny thought) and wrapped his hands around Danny’s wrists, not wanting to be hit or shoved again. “You were hurting so much, Danny. And I wanted you to feel better, not for the team, but for you. You are the best father I’ve ever seen, you uprooted yourself to see Gracie what, 4-5 days a month? And it hurt me to see you in pain every time Rachel tried to take her away from you.”

Danny frowned when he felt his anger rise again, but he took a deep breath and let it out, slowly.

“But you still left me. When I was hurting the most, you left me behind.” He muttered.

Steve swallowed before taking a small step back but not letting go of him. “Yes, I did. And I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. But I honestly thought I was doing what was the best for you.” He explained, again, gingerly. He needed Danny to understand. “And I don’t think you aren’t capable. I could _never_ think that.” He could feel the scoff coming before he heard it. “Danny, for the love of god, you took out 4 guys after being tortured. You are one of the strongest men I’ve ever known, you always bounced back from everything life threw at you. That’s why… That’s why I thought I could leave, because I knew that you would be okay regardless of me being there or not.”

Danny laughed, but it sounded hollow and Steve's heart twisted at that sound. “I wasn’t. I really wasn’t. You said… You said you had only stayed to solve you dad’s murder, like we didn’t matter. Like _I_ didn’t matter. I felt like shit. And then you just completely ignored me.”

“I’m sorry, Danny. It’ll never happen again. I’ll never let you doubt how much I love you. And that _is_ a promise.” He let go of him now, moving his hands to cup his face. Danny didn’t break the contact, his eyes were glistening with unshed tears. “Leaving you behind is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, bar none.”

Danny didn’t say anything, not wanting to go down the same whole again. Steve was trying, he could do an effort, too.

“So don’t leave again.” He said, pushing him away. “Let’s go, I’m starving.” He said, rubbing his eyes. Steve followed him outside where Clay was talking with Chin. “Ah, Steve, this is…”

“Clay Spenser, I know. He was here when I arrived.” He interrupted, gently.

“Ah. Why didn’t you call me? I told you to call me that if someone was here for me.” Clay had gone rigid at those words, his brain scrambling for an explanation.

Steve laid a hand on his arm, catching his attention. “Because I told him not to. You were working and I could wait.” He explained, shrugging.

“Huh.” Okay, that was surprising _._ Who could have ever thought that Steve McGarrett could be patient. “Okay then. Hey Chin, I might be out for a while, but call me if you need anything.”

“Yeah, yeah. You have enough extra hours to take a whole week off, you know?” He teased before looking at Steve. “We are still on for tomorrow, right?”

“Yes, of course.” The cousins had agreed to meet him for dinner on Saturday, once they had read their own letters and replied to them, which had taken long enough that Steve had almost lost all hope at being forgiven. “Should I bring something?”

“Just make sure to bring yourself.” Chin replied, and the harshness of his words made the younger man flinch.

A part of Danny felt good at seeing Steve hurt at Chin’s words, but another part of him chastised him for it. But that part was also the one who had been ready to forgive Steve the second he saw him crying, so he wasn’t too keen on listening to that part of himself.

“And Chin, can you send Bonnie to get the files from Melissa? Please.”

“You got it, brah.” He knocked him on the shoulder.

“Thanks, babe.” He replied, the term slipping from his lips, but a part of him was glad to see Steve’s eyes dull a bit. He had only called him that before, and everyone knew it and when Steve left he started calling everyone babe, out of habit. To fill a hole in his chest. “Let’s go.”

He guided him outside. “See that restaurant? On the corner?”

“Yeah?”

“Good, go get us a table. For 3. Say it’s for me, they’ve got one reserved for the task force.”

“Oookaaayyy.” There was something sketchy going on, he still knew Danny, but he figured he’d know it soon enough, so he didn’t comment on it.

He crossed the street and did as told, and he was seated at the table by the corner, no doubt chosen as a strategic place, and old habits die hard, so he sat himself facing the window, back to the wall.

He didn’t see Danny come in, he was texting his therapist about meeting with him, having promised her that he would tell her, no exceptions, every time he met with one of them. He looked up when two chairs dragged on the floor at the same time.

“Hey, I didn’t know what…”

Nahele.

Nahele was right there, sitting in front of him, Danny’s arm wrapped around the back of his chair and he could see the tension on both of their shoulders, even if Danny was trying to look calm and relax, and Nahele was picking at his shirt until he felt his astonished gaze on him and then he looked up, his eyes filled with anger and sadness and a feeling of dread settled on his stomach. 

What…? What was happening?


	13. Chapter 13

**What…? What was happening?**

He looked at the blond cop trying to figure out what was going on in there, yet his face was inscrutable, but then again, Danny’s face was impossible to read when he didn’t want anyone knowing what was going through his head: he clearly remembered Rachel complaining about that once and he had been in enough poker games with him to know that, too.

He felt confusion washing over him, dizziness settling on the back of his head and making his vision blur for one second as his brain processed that Nahele was there, in front of him, in Los Angeles, with Danny.

“What…?”

Danny leaned in close, his arm sliding off of Nahele’s shoulders. “You didn’t think I’d leave him behind, right?”  _ Like you did?  _ he didn’t say it, but Steve could hear it as clear as day.

“I don’t… I don’t understand. What?” He shook his head, trying to clear it and looked at Nahele, who wasn’t even looking at him, his eyes set on the table.

“Someone had to look after him, Steve.” He felt shame creeping up his spine because he knew what Danny was implying and sadly, he had to agree. “So when we moved here, I offered him to come live with us, work at LAPD’s garage.”

“I’m… glad.” He mumbled. He had been so high about Danny and him having lunch and now he was on a new low, it hurt to be used like this, but he knew he deserved it and he also knew he would probably not have reacted well to the news of Nahele being there and not being told if Danny or someone else had just told him, therapy was working but it one didn't change overnight.

And he knew he needed to apologise to Nahele. And explain his actions, explain why he did things the way he did, even if he understood now that he was wrong. So, so wrong.

“Good. Now, I’m going to go to the bar, order our drinks, a couple rounds of wings for you and well, the place is packed so they might take a while to take my order.” It really wasn’t, if anything it was more empty than anything, but neither him or the mechanic said anything. “Hele, kiddo, that alright?” The boy nodded. “Good. And you,” he grabbed Steve by the chin, tilting his head back to glare at him, but he was aware it softened at the clear distress in those beautiful eyes. “talk. And be honest, or I’ll know.”

“I wouldn’t lie.” Steve replied, looking back into Danny’s eyes, trying to show him that he was telling the truth: he had promised to make right by everyone, and lying wasn't in his list of things to do when you wanted to be forgiven.

“Good. And keep it down. Kono loves it here and she’ll kill me if we can’t come back.” He sat down on the other side of the bar, where he could watch them. He ordered a beer and a pulled pork sandwich for himself and another beer for Steve and a pineapple Fanta for his kid.

* * *

Steve swallowed when they were left alone: Danny and Mary had been hard, but he knew how to talk to them, knew that they would not take his bullshit, but Nahele… He hadn’t even known that he was there, and he understood the point Danny was making, that he had screwed up with a lot more people he had initially thought and that the had had to take care of it.

He wasn't sure how to breech the topic because Nahele wasn't a kid, but he was a fully formed adult, either, he was barely an adult, to begin with and he wasn't even sure how teenager and young adults operated this days, he didn't even how they did in _his_ own days, but, he thought, the best option would probably to just tackle it at once.

“Nahele, I’m sorry.” He finally said, looking at him, even if the kid was still focused on the table. “I know I screwed up, that I didn’t treat you like I should have. And I... ”

“You didn’t…" Steve fell silent when he opened he started talking. "You didn’t even come say goodbye.” He said, his voice trembling with anger and sadness, because he didn’t understand what could he have done that made Steve throw him away like an old rag.

“I know. And I’m sorry, so sorry.” He reached over, but didn’t grab him the way he did with Danny, he simply touched his arm but the boy simply retreated it, wrapping it around himself. “Nahele, I understand now that I messed up. Royally so.”

“You sent me a  _ text _ , Steve. Like I didn’t matter any more. You didn't explain what was going on, you only said goodbye and to take care.” He mumbled and when he finally looked up his eyes were filled with tears. “Dad had to come tell me. Injured and all, he made Tani drive him to Kame’s truck so he could tell me what it was all about.”

Steve felt another surge of guilt knock him and he couldn’t help but glance at the blond, who was now drinking a beer, seemingly cool as cucumber, as if he weren’t watching them as a hawk, ready to intervene the second Nahele needed it.

“I’m sorry.” He repeated, his voice low, full of regret because he had been so, so, careless: he had known about Nahele's abandonment issues, they were the same as his yet he... yet he had done exactly the same thing his dad did, he kicked those who meant everything to him to protect them (and yourself, his therapist voice said). “I… I wasn’t in the right state of mind. I thought, I was convinced, that if I went away and left you all alone, you’d be safe, that none of my shit would affect you any more. And I know now that I should not have taken this decision alone but at that moment, all I wanted to do was protect you.” He added

“No, you shouldn’t have decided it by yourself.” Nahele spat before he took a sip of his drink. “It _hurt_ , Steve. You took me out of the streets, gave me a second chance, got me a job, a place to stay and then you just... you just left! With a text. Am I… Am I that bad that you didn’t want to see me?”

Fuck. 

“No, Nahele. God,  _ no _ .” He did take his hand now, curling his fingers around his wrist, but lightly so, giving Nahele the chance to pull away. “No. You are amazing, kid. You’ve gone through things most people could not come back from. Listen to me: my mistakes are mine and only mine. It’s not your fault, ok? Never your fault. _I_ fucked up. I took everyone for granted and I didn’t realise that me going dark would hurt you, any of you, this much.”

Nahele’s eyes almost doubled in size. “You really thought we wouldn’t miss you?” Had he always been that much of a moron? “Steve you… You were the first person I had in my life that I could look up to! And you left! Like mom did! Like my dad did!”

Steve’s breath stuttered when he saw tears running down Nahele’s cheeks. How did he mess up so much and with so many people? Danny thought he never loved him and had only cared for him for what he could provide him, Charlie was convinced he didn’t love them any more, Mary was disappointed in him in ways he never thought possible, the cousins were angry and disappointed in how he handled things, and Nahele thought he was worthless and all because he had been an asshole who thought could deal with everything on his own. 

And that was without bringing Grace, because he knew he had fucked up there even more, and that unlike her dad who had decided to give him a second chance if he could redeem himself, she’d be much harsher to him. And he deserved it. How many times had he told her he loved her? How many times had they spent Sunday surfing and swimming and making fun of their Danno, who always stayed out of the water?

He shook his head: no, Grace would come later, now he needed to make sure the kid in front of him understood that he had done nothing wrong.

“God, Nahele. I didn’t think me being around meant so much for you.” He confessed. “I thought you were fine on your own. I thought you didn’t need me around.” Nahele glared at him at those words. “I’m sorry, I truly am.”

“It’s not enough.” He muttered, looking away.

“What was that?" The boy shook his head, looking away again. "Hey. What is it?”

“It’s not good enough!” He exclaimed, standing up. “Dad might’ve forgiven you easy, but I can’t. Because you’ll leave again, and you’ll hurt us again and…”

“I’m not leaving.” He stood up too, looking at him with fierce eyes, woefully ignoring how he had called Danny again, they could talk about that when (if) Nahele could forgive him. “Not now, not ever again. I made this mistake once, but I can, and I am, promising you I won’t do it again.”

“How am I supposed to believe you? You didn't even know I was here!" He flinched at those words.

"No. I didn't." He admitted. "That doesn't mean I don't care about you. Or that I stopped thinking about you when I was away." He said.

"Bullshit."

Steve shook his head. "It's not. I mean it, I... I know it's not much, and trivial, but I got you things from the places I went. You said you wanted to have a miniature car models collection, so I uh..."

Nahele's heart did a small flip at those words: they had talked about it a few times, but he had never gotten the chance to start it, most of his money going for rent and groceries. "You got me... cars?"

"Two or three, the ones I could find. But I also got you other things. If I had known... I would have brought them today."

The boy nodded, but he wasn't forgiving him just yet: he was not going to sell himself like that.

"Doesn't mean I forgive you. Or that I trust that'll you stay.

“I know, Nahele. I know! I didn't mean..." He shook his head, clearing his mind. "It is a promise I intend to keep now and ten, twenty, thirty years down the line. I will understand if you don’t want to try again. I know I don’t deserve it.”

Nahele shook his head. “I’m… I’m sorry. Just… I need some time.” He explained, gathering his things.

“Don’t apologise. You’ve done nothing wrong. This whole mess, it’s on me.” Steve said, his tone low and sad, because now he was hurting another precious person in his life. “Danny has my phone number, if-if you ever want to talk again…”

“Ok. Bye. I’m sorry.” And just with that he left, going straight for Danny.

He watched them hug, Nahele nodding at whatever the blond was saying. Danny smiled at him, patting him on the back before he gave him a sandwich he had ordered for him.

Steve took his phone, seeing that Claire, his therapist, had replied. He didn’t read it though, he just typed that Nahele was there, and that it had been horrible. When he looked up again, Danny was sitting down across from him and giving him a basket filled with wings, his half-eaten sandwich in front of him. He didn’t say anything, letting Steve have the first word. Letting Steve choose how that conversation was going to go.

“I messed up.” He mumbled.

“Yeah. What are you gonna do about it?" He took another bite of his sandwich.

“Keep trying.” He said, toying with the peeling label of the beer. “Unless he says he doesn’t want me near. Then I guess I’ll make myself scarce.” 

Danny smiled, sadly: on one hand he was damn proud of Nahele for not giving in at the first signal of remorse, but on the other… he was still in love with that dumb ass and it pained to see him so down.

“He’ll come around, Steve, but you… you have to give him time. He was really hurt when he learnt that you had left.”

“I know. But I… I really thought I was doing what was best for everyone.” He said. “And I didn’t think he’d miss me.”

Danny rolled his eyes and smacked him on the head. “You are an idiot. A much bigger idiot than I ever realised. Why on earth wouldn’t he miss you?”

Steve shrugged. “He’s an adult now, he doesn’t need my help any more.”

“He might be twenty, but he’s still a kid! Did you, or did you not miss your dad when you were twenty?”

“Yeah.”

“So?” He had gone back to moving his hands around. “I swear to god.” He grumbled, the old feeling of wanting to punch Doris and John McGarrett resurfacing again. “And eat.”

Steve obeyed, picking one of the wings and biting a piece off. He chewed, slowly, thinking. And Danny kept quiet as he ate his own food.

“Why are you helping me?” He questioned when he was on his third piece.

Danny looked up, surprised. “What?”

“I hurt all of you. I especially hurt _you_. I just… I don’t understand.” He looked up, genuinely wanting to know.

Danny sighed, shaking his head. How much idiocy could fit into one person? “You _did_ hurt us. You _did_ hurt me, but you are trying Steve. You are not expecting that it will solve itself like you have been doing for the last decade, you are making an effort. So I’ll make an effort too. I’m not promising anything with the kids though, I won’t play the Devil’s advocate here.”

“I wouldn’t want you to.” He replied because he would hate it if Danny got into trouble with his own kids for Steve: he would never forgive himself for taking the most precious thing in Danny's life.

“And finish eating already. I wanna go grab a coffee before heading back in.” Danny grumbled as he finished the last of his beer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are you guys doing? Are you all still in quarantine? 
> 
> In my area we have more businesses opening! Even though we have been barred from entering the main city. I live like, 5min by car from it, but we can't go in, they can't go out. The metropolitan area surrounding the city has been split in 3 areas and we can't go out of those three areas, but they rest of my "state" (for lack of a better word) can move freely. It kinda sucks, but it could be way waaaay worse.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is for sue2556 because they raised some very strong point on the last chapter and made me re-think some stuff! Also because they were so very worried about me being a bastard and making Steve suffer to no end.

**“And finish eating already. I wanna go grab a coffee before heading back in.” Danny grumbled as he finished the last of his beer."**

Three days later Danny called him, essentially summoning to go to the beach with him and Charlie if he was free because it was Saturday, Nahele was going out to surf with his new friends and his sister, and Rachel was attending a PTA meeting about cupcakes or something that he refused to go to: he loved his children, but he hated PTA meetings. He had wanted to decline at first, because he still hadn’t seen the youngest Williams and the last thing he wanted to do was to upset him in an uncontrolled environment, but when he checked the calendar to make sure he didn’t have anything scheduled and realised what the date was: next Monday was Charlie’s bi-annual check-up always September 28th.

He agreed instantly, knowing how much it scared all of them, even if nothing had happened since the surgery.

And God, it felt amazing that Danny wanted him there, that he was letting him inside that much so quickly. 

After Nahele, he had called Claire, praying that she was free at the moment. And thank god she had been. He had felt so… alone after leaving Danny at HQ, like it didn’t matter how much he did they would never trust him again, that they would still keep him at arm’s length no matter what, that they would keep telling him to try and try and try but never forgive him.

But Claire had talked to him, slow and patient like always, reassured him that he was doing everything right and that they were making progress, that if Danny really was only pretending that he would give him a second chance he would not have let his son meet him, because according to what he had told her, his children were the thing Danny cherished the most in his life and would never put them in harm's way if he could protect them. But she also said that Nahele was young and young adults had a harder time forgiving because they were protecting themselves, not because they were holding onto anger like his old teammates were.

She promised they would talk more about it in his next session, since it was something she really wanted to work on it with him, see what they could do to win the young man over, but she didn't want to do it over the phone.

* * *

A week later Danny sat down in the backyard with Charlie on his lap after dinner. He was looking at him with huge eyes and a confused look.

“Are you hurt again, Danno?”

His lips twitched in a smile at those words: of course his son would think he was hurt. How many times had he taken aside to tell him that he couldn’t play with him because he got hurt while working?

“No, baby, I’m fine. I have something for you. A letter.” He pulled out of his back pocket and gave it to him. He had already read it, Gracie was one thing, but Charlie was still a kid, and he was not going to let Steve hurt him anymore than he already had.

He examined it for a couple seconds before he tore it open, handing his father the now empty envelope. He read it in silence, finger following the words. When he finished reading it he looked up at his father

“Uncle Steve is back?”

“Yeah, he is.”

Charlie nodded, but he wasn't looking at him, his eyes focused on the letter. “But he’ll leave again, right?”

Danny sighed, hugging him close to his chest, kissing him on the head. “No baby, he’s going to stay.” Or God help him if Danny got his hands on him if he did leave.

“He hasn’t come to say hi.”

“No, he hasn’t." He conceded. "But he’ll meet us for surfing on Saturday, how do you like that?”

“Really?” He grinned up at him.

“Yeah, really. We can yell at him for leaving if you want.”

“Yeah.” His face was so serious now, his lips slightly pursed, a little perfect copy of his mother’s, but Danny knew Charlie wouldn't yell at him, he was too quiet which was amazing because no one in his family was quiet, and Rachel never had a problem on matching him when it came to yelling. Maybe Rachel's dad? Grace on the other hand… Yeah, that girl had a mouth on her, and not all of it was his or Rachel's.

* * *

Charlie had been so excited the morning before that in the end, that the third time he sneaked out to make sure he had everything ready to leave early, Danny had taken him to his room to sleep, promising him that _yes, we have food_ , and _yes, we have the boards in the car_ and _yes Charlie, baby, we will leave really early but only if you sleep now._

* * *

When they made it to the beach Steve was already there, waiting for them in the parking lot. Charlie didn’t run off to hug him like he always had, instead he clutched Danny’s shirt when he approached them. 

“Been waiting for long?” Danny questioned.

He shrugged. “Not really. 10 minutes.” He looked at the boards and the food and Charlie’s beach toys. “Need help?”

Danny pointed at the front seat, where their foot and beverages were. “Can you get the food? I made us tuna sandwiches.”

Steve looked up from the cooler, startled. “You made a sandwich for me?”

“Yeeesss...?”

“Oh.” He looked at his own backpack where the food he had made for them was, not that he had any hope that his would be better than Danny’s, they never had been, but he had made Danny's favourite sandwich, including the flatbread because he had a lot of free time now, so he had taken on making their bread, trying different recipes and types of breads (Joannie really enjoyed Vienna bread while Mary liked anything he made) and he had also made some of the food he knew Danny had as a child when they went to the beach with his family back in Jersey for Charlie.

“If you don’t want it you can say so.” He said, gently setting the boards against the car.

“No! I do! I do. It’s just… I had also made us food.” He explained. “I’ll just keep it in the car.” And it was a shame but...

“And what, throw it away?” Danny replied, rolling his eyes. “Don’t be a schmuck, bring it, too. Mary said your bread-making skills were really good.”

There was barely anyone at the beach, but if Hawaii had taught Danny anything was that if you wanted to go to the beach you better get up early. Once they had the boards, towels, toys and food ready they settled down on the towels.

Danny looked down at his son, who still had to mutter a single word. “Charlie, baby, can you please let go?” He looked up at him and reluctantly let go, but didn’t move from his side. Danny sighed, shaking his head before he crouched next to him. “What’s the matter?”

Charlie shrugged, his eyes wandering to the taller man. “I wanna… talk to him.” He murmured.

With a sigh Danny stood up again. “Steve, come here.” He waved at him. “He wants to talk to you.” He told him. “Just... He’s a kid and…”

“Of course, Danny.” He replied his eyes soft and warm, the same way they had always been around his kids and Danny smiled too, thankful. Steve knelt next to the child as Danny settled down on his towel, turning around to give them a sense of privacy, but he was still listening to every single word. “Hey kiddo.”

“Danno said you are not leaving again.”

He glanced at the blond, who was doing a very _poor_ act of not listening in, even if he was scrolling through his phone. “And he’s right, I’m not leaving ever again.” Charlie nodded, his brow furrowed. “What is it Charlie? You can ask me anything.”

“Why’d you leave?”

Steve bit his lip: there was no way Charlie could understand, he was too young, but he still deserved the best explanation he could give.

“Do you remember that time Danno gave me his liver and you came to the hospital to visit us?” He nodded. “And when Danno was hurt when we had to stay with Tani and Junior inside the glass room?” He nodded again, blond hair bouncing. “I was really afraid of losing Danno, those times. And you know how he got hurt again before I left?” Before you left them, his mind supplied, ever so helpful.

“Yeah.”

“That time really, really scared me, because I thought I’d never see him again.” He continued, blinking to keep the tears at bay, but just thinking of Danny, looking so small in that hospital bed, surrounded by beeping machines, bruised and bloody everywhere was enough to make him want to cry. “He got hurt because of something my mom did, and I thought if I went away he wouldn’t get hurt any more.”

Charlie didn’t say anything, looking at him first and then at his father before biting down on his bottom lip, the same way Danny did when he was thinking about saying something. The same way Grace did, too.

“Do you still love us? Because when mummy said that sometimes when you go away people stop loving you, like Blake’s parents and…” He trailed off when Steve wrapped a hand around his nape.

“Hey, listen to me, ok?” The boy nodded again, vigorously, and Steve was going to start worrying he was going to pull a muscle if he did it again. “I’ll always love you. Always. I know I hurt you when I left, but I never stopped loving you, or Grace, or Danny.”

“And Hele?”

“And Nahele. I love you lots, I promise.”

“I… love you too, Uncle Steve. But you can’t leave again! You have to promise! Because Danno was really sad and I don’t like it when he’s sad. And Gracie is really sad too because she loves you a lot too and… and…”

“Charlie,” Danny interrupted. “What did we say about putting words in other people’s mouths?”

“But it’s true!” He looked up at his father, his eyes defiant in that very Williams way that Steve loved so much.

“Doesn’t matter, that’s for your sister to say.” He crossed his arms, looking at his son with an arched eyebrow.

“Ok. Sorry, Danno.” He said, but Danny was sure he let out another ‘but it’s true’ under his breath. 

“That’s alright. Put the clothes in the bag, and Uncle Steve will go with you in the water.”

“But you said you’d come, too!” He whined, looking at him with puppy eyes, bottom lip jutting out and goddammit, he was weak against that face.

“Ok, ok, I’ll come too.” He finally relented and Charlie cheered before he went to get his board, running to the water. 

“Thank you for coming.” Danny said, not looking at him as he put his shirt away, too. He tried very hard to not stare at his chest, it had always been a hardship to do so, because Danny was too hot, too good-looking for his sanity. 

“Of course, Danny. I know how much you hate having to go to the hospital with him.” He said. “I… brought you something. And for Charlie, too.”

Danny arched an eyebrow, but said nothing and waited, watching how Steve retrieved something from his bag. “I didn’t make this one. I saw it when I was in Russia, made me think of you.” He handed it to him: it was a small statue of a Beagelman. “Her name was Violet, right?” 

It had been a passing story that he told once when the them and the cousins had been out for beers, about the puppy he picked up from the streets when he had started at the Academy and that he had named after his home state's flower. She died a few years later from a heart disease.

He had forgotten he had told them about her.

“Y-yeah.” He muttered, and suddenly he had a knot on his throat. He swallowed, watching how Steve reached over and flipped it, the name engraved on the bottom with Steve’s handwriting. “I… thank you, Steve.”

Steve gave him a small smile. “I just… I never stopped thinking about you, I need you to know that.” 

Danny nodded as he carefully put it inside his bag, tenderly wrapped in his shirt. “It really means a lot, Steve.”

“I’m glad you liked it.”

The blond didn’t reply, he just gave him a small smile. “Let’s go, c’mon.”

Steve followed him into the water without a word or a quip about Danny going into the ocean. And it was then when he saw the fine scars running along his back, shoulder to hip, the exit wound of the bullet that had pierced his chest and shoulder. 

He felt sick at the thought that he was the reason he had them now, that Danny had been subjected to hours of torture at the hands of a demented woman because she wanted money. Money! And staring at his back made him feel even more guilty at going away and going silent because he had known dammit! He had known how hurt Danny was, but he still skipped town because it had been easier to face it alone and somewhere else. _That's a lie_ , Claire's voice said in his head, and the voice was right it hadn't been easier, it had been horrible and only after 4 months or so he was able to function with some semblance of normality.

Had he stayed he would have had to face Danny's pain every day and he knew he had not been in the right state of mind to take care of his then-partner, but leaving meant he just worried day in and day out about his condition and unable to ask, so in the end, neither solution had been good and really, if he had thought for even five minutes he would probably have realised that the lie he told Mary was actually a good plan: stay in Hawaii, go to therapy, be close to the man he loved. Hell, they could have just packed their stuff and moved to Maui or to the Big Island and looked for a therapist there, for each of them, put some space between them and Five-0 but still close enough for Charlie to visit, for the team to visit every now and then.

"I can hear you thinking, Steven." Danny said, bringing his thoughts to a screeching halt. The cop turned around and pinned him with his ice blue eyes. "And for the umpteenth time, it is not your fault. You did not hand me to Daiyu Mei. You did not flagellate me. You did not get me shot. But you did save my life and that's what really matters babe."

"Yeah, but..." He tried to insist, not even realising how Danny had called him.

"Steve, enough. If you want to blame someone, blame Wo Fat. Blame Daiyu Mei. Blame _Doris_ ," the amount of contempt and venom he spat with his mother's name should not have been a surprise, they had never liked each other, but it was the first time that Danny had made it so blatantly obvious how much he hated her without saying it "but I will not let you blame yourself for something that was thrown to you and that you had no idea about." He finished and Steve knew that Danny was right, but it was still hard, especially when he could see exactly what had happened to Danny. "Let's go, Charlie will get cranky if we take much longer." He grabbed him by the elbow and tugged him.

He swallowed around the lump on his throat and followed the blond. "Thank you, Danny." Danny didn't reply, he just rolled his eyes before they got into the water, Charlie smiling and waving, yelling at them to hurry up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my flatmates and I are being kicked out by the end of this month, I was lucky that I found a studio apartment the next day but I can't move for another 10-15 days because they are fixing the place up, which means I have to pack everything up (and I only moved here a year ago) and get WiFi installed in there (again) so this might be the last chapter for two weeks or so.


	15. Chapter 15

**He swallowed around the lump on his throat and followed the blond. "Thank you, Danny." Danny didn't reply, he just rolled his eyes before they got into the water, Charlie smiling and waving, yelling at them to hurry up.  
**  
  
After a few hours of surfing and swimming, of splashing and Charlie climbing on their shoulders, they were back to their towels, Charlie almost inhaling his food and Danny’s sandwich were, as per usual, delicious (and he tried very hard not to think about how his had less mayo and more olives, just like he liked them), but they also ate the food he had made for them: cold Italian pasta salad, because he knew that it was what Clara made for her children when they went to the beach in Jersey and it was the same thing Danny usually made for his kids when they went to the beach and the sandwiches. And when he saw how Danny’s eyes shone at the first bite of his _piadina romagnola_ , he knew he had done a good job. They sent Charlie to the ice-cream cart to get desserts.

Danny let himself fall onto his towel, hands behind his head and his good leg bent, sunglasses on and his hair an amazing fluffy mess courtesy of the sun and the salty water.

He looked so relaxed, like he had no care in the world and like he didn’t put away a murderer the day before. When was the last time he had seen him like this? He wasn’t sure he ever did.

“Stop staring, Steven.” Danny said.

“Sorry, sorry. But you have to agree, it’s strange to see you like this, on the beach no less.”

Danny only grunted in reply and Steve didn’t say anything else, but he took it as his win and not only because he won their not-argument, but because they were acting more like themselves. Like their old selves, that is. Charlie raced towards them, holding their treats as well as he could while ducking and dodging people in that way that only people who grew up in heavily populated areas knew how to do.

He flopped down between them, handing them their ice creams.

“Oh, I brought you a gift, kiddo.” He said, stretching to get his bag and maybe if Danny hadn’t been wearing those shades he would have seen the appreciative once over he was given, because dammit, he was still hurt, he was still angry, but unfortunately that didn’t make Steve any less attractive in his eyes. Or his heart.

“Really?”

“Yeah!” He retrieved the carefully wrapped present and handed it to him, frowning. “How about you finish that ice cream and then we open it? We don’t want it to get dirty.”

“Okay…” He sighed before he took another bite of his frozen treat.

The fact that he finished it in five bites seemed like the most adorable thing in the world to Steve.

Danny had rolled onto his side and he was happily biting through his chocolate and mint cone and Steve never understood how both him and Grace could just bite through ice and ice creams just like that, although Danny claimed it was because they ate ice creams in Jersey. During winter. He always made sure to point that out. He had an arm around Charlie, probably to keep him from getting up and running around.

“I’m done! Can I have it now?”

“Let me see your hands first.” Danny said and Charlie dutifully presented them. “Here, wash them.” He retrieved a pack of baby wipes and gave one to Charlie who did a very hasty job of cleaning his hands before showing them again. Danny took them, making a show of examining them extremely close. “Yup, very good job kiddo.”

At those words Charlie twisted around and smiled at Steve, extending his thin arms out to him. Danny watched how the ex-SEAL gently put the brightly wrapped package in his hands, a shy smile on his lips.

The boy tore the paper immediately, revealing an intricate wooden statue of an elephant sitting down, the trunk curled up and holding what looked like a vase. Charlie examined it closer, his eyes bright at the figurine, because it was intricate work, but it still had an air of… childishness? Soft edges, kind of chubby, and the posture it was in.

“It’s uh, it’s a candle holder.” Steve explained. “Danno said you used candles when you couldn’t sleep, right?”

“Yeah! I like the peach ones!” He said before handing it to his father.

And Steve heart broke at the quick dismissal, because the second he had seen it, tucked away in that little shop in Namibia, his thoughts had gone straight to Charlie and his favourite animal, to that elephant plushie Danny had bought him when they were at the Hospital. That toy that Danny had insisted Steve went to buy with him because it was from both of them. And maybe elephants simply weren’t his favourite animal any more. And he didn’t know. How could he? Charlie had had no way of telling him because of his own choices. And now he had failed them again, he had failed Charlie, and Danny, and Nahele who still hadn’t contacted him either, maybe he should just…

“Hey.” Danny’s voice interrupted his train of thought at once and he looked up, startled. “You ok?”

But before he could say anything, he had a blond mop of hair smashing against his face, bony elbows and knees digging into his shoulders and thighs and sticky lips kissing his rough cheek.

“I love it Uncle Steve! Thank you!” He grinned at him before he craned his head back, still wrapped around Steve to look at his father. “Danno, Danno! Can we use it tonight?”

Danny didn’t immediately reply, his now-visible ice blue eyes glued on Steve’s, taking him in, taking _his_ reaction in, and had it always felt that scorching or was it the Sun? Steve couldn’t tell.

“Yeah, of course kiddo. I’m sure Rachel has some at home.” He smiled.

Charlie grinned in reply before he wiggled and twisted until he was sitting on Steve’s lap. Danny watched them, as he had been most of the morning, and specifically watched how Steve tensed every time Charlie pushed away and melted right away every time he reached out for him, in the same manner he did before he had left. Deeming that his son was as safe as ever in Steve’s arms, he rolled onto his stomach, folded his arms under his head and decided to let the murmur of people coming and going, the faint sound of the waves lull him into a sleepy state, the shadow of the umbrella and the copious amount of sunscreen he had used would not turn him into a tomato.

“Uncle Steve?” Charlie questioned after a few minutes.

“Yeah?”

“Are you going to work with Danno again?”

Danny didn’t need to see Steve to know he tensed up.

Steve didn’t need to look at Danny to know he had gone rigid.

But Danny didn’t say anything, he hadn’t even moved and only because Steve knew him that well (because he still did, he would _always_ know Danny) was that he knew that Danny was not going to intervene, that the ball was on his side now.

“I… I don’t think so, kiddo.”

“But you said-!”

Steve shushed him, gently, turning him around. “I still love your dad.” He _knew_ Danny was listening and it was something he needed both of them to hear. “He’s the person I love the most in the world. He’ll always be.” He would say as many times as needed for them to understand that. “Us not working together doesn’t change that, ok? And I still love you, too, ok?” He cupped his face.

“Promise?”

“Pinky promise.” He extended his pinky finger and the child quickly hooked his finger with his, relaxing almost immediately after, cuddling against him and closing his eyes. “Nap?”

“Yeah…”

Steve lay down too, on his side, making sure that Charlie was in the shadow to make sure he didn’t get burned. Danny didn’t say anything, but Steve saw how his shoulders had relaxed and how his feet were now flat instead of on his toes and he _knew_ that he had handled it like Danny expected him to.

* * *

As the two Williams dozed off, Steve thought about how his relationship with the cousins had improved too since their first talk, not that thing in Danny’s office, their first real, honest one. It could have gone better, but it also could have gone so much worse.

Chin had been hurt that he had left and he had been rightfully angry at being kept in the dark about Joe and Doris, that they were ohana and that, as such, they would have hopped on the first plane to help them (him) out, but what he had been furious about had been how he treated Danny, the words he had told him. And really it should have surprised him as much as it had, because he knew that Danny and Chin were close, that when they had a problem they had turned to each other, ever since Meka’s death they had had each other’s backs and never doubted each other’s words, except when they played cards, nobody trusted a Williams when cards and money were involved, he thought with a smile.

The Native Hawaiian man had made it very clear that between him and Danny, he would choose Danny’s word over him, especially now. And he understood, God he understood because he also trusted Danny’s words over anyone else’s.

And Kono… Yeah, their meeting had been rough to say the least. Kono was so much like Danny sometimes, in that she was explosive and didn’t hold back her punches and she had yelled at him for almost an hour about his treatment of not just Danny, of the kids, Nahele, of the team back in Hawaii even though she only knew two of them. And he had yelled right back because she really didn’t have any ground to be mad at him for skipping town when she had done the exact same thing. To her _husband_ , who had given up everything for her.

“ _Really, Steve? You really wanna go there? Because Adam is not the only one who gave things up to stay in the islands! What about everything Danny has given up over the years for you, huh? He could have gone back to Jersey with Rachel and Grace when you got arrested, but he stayed. For you! He gave you a piece of his liver hours later of crashing a plane because he knew you wouldn’t make it out if he landed on the water.”_

“ _I know! And I’m sorry I never told him how much_ _everything he has done for me_ _means_ _to me! How much_ he _means to me.”_

That had seem to calm her down some, but she still glared at him for the rest of their meal.

His eyes had stung at those words because he knew everything Danny had done for him and because he knew he had never thanked him enough.

Kono also made it very clear that she would also choose Danny over him any time.

She then brought up the topic of Danny doing a lot more work as Steve’s second that she did as his, comparing how Danny had everything almost ready from the get go and how much Chin had flopped around for the first couple of months, much to her cousin’s embarrassment. And yeah, Steve agreed that Danny was the one to really handle most of the paperwork because Steve had turned out to be shit at it.

Charlie moving in his arms snapped him from memory lane and smile at the slightly pinched face and twitching nose, scratching lightly until the boy settled again.

* * *

Danny rose after a while, stretching and smiling at the picture in front of him, Steve was on his phone, clearly messaging someone, probably Mary but maybe it was someone in Hawaii because as he had promised Junior when he left, he kept in touch, calling at least once a week to talk to all of them and regularly texting (if sending voice messages counted as texting) with Tani, Adam and Junior. Even Noelani and Kamekona texted him regularly. Cole and Quinn had barely known them so while they still talked when he called to HQ, they didn’t make an effort to message back and forth. Lou hated texting as much as he did, so they would simply talk for a longer while when they called. And they all had said that yes, that Steve was reaching out, apologising over and over again, that he had left little gifts and trinkets he had found during his time away.

* * *

When they left, hours later, Charlie was asleep in his father's arms, limbs falling like dead weights and Steve helped Danny put him inside the car and strap the boards. He was about to go to his car when Danny yanked him back, looking up at him with a frown in place.

“Danny?” He looked down at him, confused, trying to think of anything he could have done to upset his partner but coming up empty.

“What’s this?” He questioned, brushing his tattoo with his thumb. And the gentle caress sent a pleasant jolt through Steve's body, he had longed for so long to have those calloused fingers touching him again.

And even more confused he looked down, it was the tattoo, the same one he had always had since they had met, well, a bit more scarred, but… Oh.

“Oh. Hum.” He licked his lips and shifted his weight: Danny always made him nervous when he got this serious, his pale blue eyes unwavering in their resolve to find everything about him. “I-I got it in…” He wanted to lie. He wanted to lie about it so badly, but if he wanted this to work, if he wanted Danny to trust him again he couldn’t hide behind a lie or by dismissing the topic.

“Did you get this in my car? When it was burning?” Fuck Danny and his detective skills, seriously, but at least that took the chance he might lie out of the window, because Danny didn’t ask things just because, when he asked, he already knew the answer.

“Y-yeah. I thought you were inside, I reached in two or three times when I couldn’t see you.” He explained, looking everywhere but at him: it hurt to remember the searing hot panic he had felt inside when he saw the Camaro up in flames. “Cole pulled me off, used the fire extinguisher from my truck, but I uh, my sleeve caught in flames and I got bur-nt.”

Danny closed his eyes: why was he just hearing about all of this? Did someone else know?

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked instead, his fingers tightening around his bicep.

Steve sighed, squirming away. “Because you were hurt, and then you’d feel guilty about it, and that was… that _is_ the last thing I want for you.” He did look at him then. “I would do it again. Over and over again.” He shivered slightly when Danny ran the pads of his fingers over the marred skin.

“You are an idiot. Fucking hell, Steve, of course I would have wanted to know if you got hurt!” He yelled at him, throwing his hands in the air. “What, you thought – you thought I didn’t worry about you and the guys while I was lying there in pain and bored out of my mind?”

The ex-SEAL looked up, alarmed. “That’s not what I said!”

“No, but you must have thought it if you decided not telling me would do anything!” He climbed into the car and slammed the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've finished moving, just got my Wi-Fi back... I think I should be set for a long while guys!


	16. Chapter 16

**“No, but you must have thought it if you decided not telling me would do anything!” He climbed into the car and slammed the door.**

What was he going to do with that man? How could it be that after 10 years of being partners he thought that he wouldn’t worry about possible injuries? He glanced at the window and surely enough, Steve was waiting there.

He didn’t feel the expected anger and panic rise again about Steve disappearing but instead a different one, one that had been there for almost a decade and showed up every time Steve acted like no one cared about him and he wished Doris was in front of him to yell at her for screwing her son over and over again, as if her first time dying hadn't been the cause of Steve's main issues, what had basically destroyed and re-shaped his life into the man he was now and somehow,  _ somehow _ Doris thought that going to the other side, turning back on her country, her family, would solve anything, as if she didn’t know exactly how the CIA operated, as if she wasn’t aware that they would call Steve to get out and instead of going with her son the first time they had seen each other in years she had struck him, which in the end, had cost her her life. And while Danny hadn’t been brought up to think ill of the dead, he would be lying if he said that he wasn’t glad that she couldn’t manipulate Steve anymore, but he would never forget the haunted look in Steve’s eyes in DC.

Because how, how could Steve have thought he hadn’t worried about them, about him, while he was forced to stay in a hospital and unable to help them, after he moved in with him and Junior? Because even if in the end he had had to stay because of his own sewage, they both knew he could have stayed anywhere else than in Steve’s sofa for months on end, Adam would have taken him in gladly. Tani had offered her spare bedroom. Hell, even the Grovers would have let him crash at their sofa if needed.

But he had put up with the shitty sofa to make sure his partner was ok, or at least, as much as he could be. Because he knew Steve, and the last thing he had needed was to be alone and he was aware that the team thought he was exaggerating and being too much, but as much as Danny loved Junior, which he did, no question there, with him home Steve wasn’t allowed to break because what he had needed was gentle, physical, caring, he needed someone he trusted enough to break in front of, and Junior couldn’t offer that. And Steve wouldn’t ask for it. Because the fucking Navy had brainwashed them into thinking that asking for help was for the weak, and that if they were weak they were useless.

He wasn’t sure he ever got his ex-partner to believe that it was bullshit.

So he had decided he would be the one to offer as much comfort as he could in their lives, pretty much for everything with Steve, and for Junior, it was for everything he didn’t want to talk about with Tani.

And said ex-partner was still waiting outside his door, but he was not demanding Danny to open up and tell him what was going on like he would have in the past, he was waiting, patiently, for his next move. With a sigh, he climbed out of the car, leaning against it and looking up at Steve, silent.

“You are an idiot.” He finally proclaimed, glaring at him, taking his arm in his hands again, examining the tattoo: the burns weren’t severe but some of the colourful ink had been burnt off, he caressed it with his thumb, refusing to think about the shiver that ran over Steve.

“Yeah, so you’ve always told me.” The tone was light, teasing, almost normal. “I’m sorry, maybe I should have told you, but you were in so much pain, you needed to rest, and we both know that if I had told you it would only have made things worse for you.”

Danny exhaled through his nose. “Just… Anything else you want to tell me?” Steve took a couple of seconds before answering, trying to remember any injury he had gotten when he was away, but the nastiest thing that happened to him was a paper cut, so he simply shook his head. “From now on you tell me about your injuries, I don’t care how small, you tell me.” He looked up to blue hazel eyes and held his gaze.

“Yeah, ok. But you have to tell me yours.” He was not going to back down from this, especially now that he had no way of having his back, even if Danny was doing much field work these days.

“Ok. That’s fair.” Danny nodded before he looked away, running a hand through his hair as he always did when he was feeling anxious. “You still are… I never removed you from being my emergency contact.” He confessed, still not looking at him in the eye.

Steve felt guilt and happiness twist and settle in his stomach, but for once happiness won because Danny didn’t put Rachel as his emergency contact. Or Chin Ho or Kono.  _ He was still it. _ Just the same way Danny was still his because there was no one on earth that he trusted more with that position than him.

He hugged him tightly, tucking him under his chin and relaxing when Danny loosely wrapped his arms around his waist. “Thank you, Danno.” He mumbled and as soon as his brain realised what he had just said he tensed, scrambling to put an apology together because he didn't feel like he had a right to call him like that, because he knew that despite his constant grumbling about it Danny was ok with him using his daughter's nickname for him because Danny liked him, but now things had changed, he wasn't seen on the same light he was before and... His brain came to a halting stop when Danny sagged against him, sighing. "Danny?"

“I never thought I’d say this, and don’t quote me on it, but I missed you calling me Danno.” He pulled away to look at him. “That does not mean you can call me that way all the time.”

Steve chuckled before grinning down at the man in front of him. “Of course not, Danno.” The death glare sent his way did nothing to deter his smile, because this felt like before. The way Danny was scowling at him, with that touch of amusement and fondness was back in his eyes and he would have paid anything to always have it that way.

Seeing that Steve was having fun at his expanse, he climbed back into the car and rolled the window down. “Say hello to Mary and Joannie for me, yeah?”

“Of course.” He bit his lip before he bent over. “Lunch next week?” He offered, praying that Danny would agree.

“I’ll... let you know.” Okay, so maybe not. But that was better than a straight up no, right?

“Thank you.” He smiled at him, and before Danny peeled off, he leaned into the window and kissed his cheek. “Love you, Danno.” Danny still didn’t say it back, but he did smile at him before running a hand through his messy dark hair.

And that made Steve’s heart soar, because this was the first real loving gesture Danny had had with him since he had been back.

It was the  _ first  _ thing that gave him hope that perhaps they really could fix this.

* * *

Danny sighed as he woke Charlie up. “Hey buddy, you need to shower.”

“Don’t wanna…” He mumbled, reaching up, and Danny rolled his eyes lovingly, but still hoisted him up and set him on his hip.

“Don’t make me call Rachel, kiddo. Once you are done you can eat something and go back to sleep, ok?” He set him on the floor once they were inside.

“Okay…”

“C’mon, go upstairs.”

The boy grumbled sleepily, but still did as told and, after getting a glass of water for himself, he followed his steps also going to his shower. They ate leftovers and Danny tucked Charlie into bed. The kids had said they were going out for dinner and Rachel was working in her office.

"Did you have fun today?"

"Yeah! Uncle Steve is still funny." He exclaimed, smiling. "Do you really think he's going to stay?"

Danny smiled, running a hand through his son's blond hair. "Yes, I really think so." Steve had done a lot of wrong things, but lying to children, to his children, had never been something he did and he knew he was not going to start now. "Ok, now go to sleep."

But Charlie refused to settle down for the night, opening his mouth again. “Danno?”

“Yes, baby?”

“I don’t wanna go to the Hospital tomorrow.”

Danny smiled, sadly, and sat down next to him, running his hand through the blond locks. “I know you don’t like it, we don’t like it either, Charlie, but we have to go to make sure you are alright.”

“But…”

“I’m sorry, buddy.” He kissed his head. “But you know mom and I will be there with you. And maybe we can go for pizza for lunch, yeah?”

“Yeah!” Pizza always made everything better.

“Good. Now go to bed.” He tucked him in and headed for the door, flicking the light off on his way. “Good night, kiddo.”

“Night Danno! I love you!”

“Love you too.”

He was about to close the door when Charlie suddenly shot up, scrambling to his feet on top of the bed. “Danno wait!”

He paused, sighing for a second. “What is it, Charlie?”

“You said I could use a candle today! With Uncle Steve’s gift!”

“I’ll go get it, lie back down, c’mon.”

And his heart did a funny thing when he saw how excited Charlie was to use his present. Once he had the candle lighted up he took a picture of it and tucked his son back into bed.

“Ok, now sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.” A little blond head nodded. “Good boy.”

Once Charlie finally settled down to sleep, he went to his room, sitting on his bed and then letting himself fall backwards: he couldn’t do lunch with Steve. It was… too normal for them. Lunch, dinner, there were weeks that they had almost all of their meals together and he couldn’t handle that. Not yet. Not without someone else to act as a buffer.

But… He locked eyes with the small football resting on his night stand, the dog statue next to it, but god! Steve was trying, he was giving him his space, and he knew he needed to reach back, because it wasn’t fair to make him do all the work.

And yeah yeah yeah, he knew he had a right to this anger, but as Oscar, his therapist, would say, holding onto it for the rest of his life was not healthy and probably not worth it if he had already decided to have Steve around and in constant contact with him, even if it was through postcards and Thank you messages. Although he’d probably use even more words.

**I can do coffee.** He sent three days later, after he had discussed with his therapist if he should or should not agree to lunch, and she had suggested starting small: coffee and beers. Maybe move to breakfast.

The reply came barely two minutes later.

**_Steve: Great! When are you free?_ **

**Tuesday? 1530?**

**_Steve: I have a job interview and therapy after it. How about Thursday?_ **

Steve was going to therapy? And admitting it? He couldn’t help but feel proud of him, because the Steve that had left them would have shot himself before admitting that he was going to therapy. Solo. Hell, he would have shot himself before he went to therapy, period.

**Works for me. Are you going to pick me up? Or do you want to go somewhere around the station?**

**_Steve: Kono said there was a nice coffee shop nearby you guys go to, we can go there if you want?_ **

**Yeah, that sounds good. See you then, Steve.**

He opened his door when Eddie pawed at it, jumping on the bed and watching him, tail swishing softly. “Hey boy, did you have fun with Rachel?” He scratched his ears. “I’m gonna take a shower and then I’ll take you out, ok?”

All he received was a happy bark and Eddie settled on the bed, clearly on with the plan. “Good boy.” He kissed his head and headed to the bathroom.

When they came back from their walk Danny went straight to bed, the dog curling next to him.

He slept like a baby for the first time in years.

* * *

They had agreed to meet there and when Steve arrived, Danny was already sitting down and… was that...? It couldn’t be, right? No, no, it certainly was.

“E-Eddie?”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now mind you, I don't even understand the military in my country and it's on History books so you can imagine what my knowledge on American military and protocols and stuff is (internet has proven to be kinda useless on that regard, so there's that) so I'm basically making everything up in here.

“E-Eddie?”

Both dog and human turned around at once at his voice and Danny barely had time to grab Eddie by the leash before he tried to take off towards the ex-SEAL and even so, he kept yipping and tugging on the leash, turning his head between his two favourite humans.

“Hey, hey, Eddie, stop.” Danny said, patting him on the head and he stopped struggling. “Good boy.”

Steve hurried to get there, eager to see Eddie again. And Danny, why even try to deny it.

“Hey.” He said, smiling at the blond. The human, not the dog.

“Hey. Sit your ass down, last thing I need is to chase this one down the road.” He said, kicking the free chair.

“That’s happened before, huh?”

“Once. Hence the leash.” He replied, smiling and God, it felt so good to see him like this, relaxed, blond hair glowing under the LA sun, his shades perched on his nose in that way that always made him squirm in his seat, and today was not exception, Steve thought. “You uh, you said you had an interview?” Danny had decided not to talk about therapy unless Steve brought it up.

“Yeah…” He scratched the back of his neck. “Turns out it wasn’t so much an interview as it was a proposal. It’s in Coronado.” He said, slowly, waiting to see how Danny would react before continuing.

He had expected anger, even rage, for him to question his sanity once again, what he hadn't been expecting was for all colour to drain from Danny’s face and for his hands to start shaking and breathing to quicken. Or for Eddie to suddenly raise himself on two paws and lick at his face, whining. He took a few seconds to react, so he wrapped his hand around his wrist, squeezing gently, like he had done when Gracie was in that accident that almost took her from them. Or in their flight back from Colombia after finding Mattie rotting away on a barrel. 

“Danno, breathe.” He said, softly. “C’mon, buddy.” He was ready to start counting him, to tell him to recite the line-ups when the cop took a deep breath and started to calm down on his own. “Yeah, that’s it.” He started rubbing his wrist with his thumb, applying some pressure, all while Eddie still whined at Danny, his head now resting on the broad shoulder. “You ok, Danno?”

“No! No, I’m not ok!” That was not the answer he had hoped for. Not at all. “Why would I be okay with that? You’re being re-deployed and you thought I’d be fine with it? After everything that’s happened?”

Shit.

Shitshitshit.

Talk about messing up.

He moved from his wrist to his hand, interlacing their fingers and squeezing hard. “Danny, no. God, no. Not like that, as a Training Official.” He said in a rush. “I’m not getting re-deployed now, or ever. I promise.”

Danny nodded, but he wasn’t looking at him and he was still clutching Eddie near him, practically cuddling him on his lap. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. What would they want a 40-something years old for, anyway?” He said, squeezing his hand. “I mean, I’m not even sure how they even convinced the higher ups to let me be a TO, but the Captain seemed ok with it so…” He shrugged. “I promised, Danny, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Not even with the Navy?”

“Not even with the Navy.” He brushed his thumb over his knuckles. 

“Or the CIA?”

“ _ Especially _ not with the CIA. I don’t need to get you from lord knows what hole when you go demand explanations.” He joked, which of course called for the classic Danny eye-roll. “Or for you to come get me again.”

“Yeah, that’s getting old.” Danny replied, squeezing his hand.

Steve smiled at him at the gesture because every single time he did something like that, even the smaller gesture, made his heart flutter like crazy. “You ok now, Danno?”

“Y-yeah, sorry.” He let go of his hand to brush across his nose and then ran it through his hair, like he always did when he was nervous, his other arm still keeping Eddie close.

“No, hey, don’t apologise.” He said, his eyes sliding to the golden dog again. “I-uh… I should have started differently.”

He wanted to pet Eddie so badly. He had missed him so much. He had assumed Junior had taken him in, but he hadn’t feel like he had a right to ask, but to know that Danny (Danny, who had always been the dog lover between them) had taken him just made his heart constrict, because Eddie had probably been another reminder that Steve had left for him.

Danny watched him, saw how he was looking at Eddie and really, he had brought Eddie as support for himself, but also for Steve. 

Well, sort of. 

He brought Eddie so he could see Steve, because he knew his dog had missed his previous owner, too. He had been so miserable the first few days: sitting by the chairs on the beach, staring at the entrance door, crying at night in Steve’s room until Danny had allowed him on the bed, holding him close and it was then he realised how much having Eddie with him helped. That was when he decided to take him with him to Rachel’s as he moved in, because that way wouldn’t be alone when he was at work and Charlie was there to play and run with him when he was back from school, and they kept each other company at night. 

But Steve was also suffering, and as his therapist said over and over again, he couldn’t forget that. It didn’t make up for his leaving, or not staying in contact, but he had to remind himself that Steve was not an impassive statue. 

Or a robot.

Not anymore, at least. The man had broken down in front of him, had begged for forgiveness basically on his knees and was drawing postcards for him. Making small plushies of the most important moments for him involving the two of them.

“Eddie, go.” He mumbled and it took a few seconds, but then Eddie turned around and jumped at Steve, licking at his face.

And Steve clutched at him and lifted him onto his lap, burying his face on the golden fur and Eddie curled around him, too, resting his head on his shoulder, whining low, his tail swishing softly.

A part of him felt betrayed by how well Eddie received Steve, but he was a dog, he couldn’t blame him, could he? Steve had helped Eddie so much in the poor dog’s life and he could be petty, but not  _ that  _ petty. And really, seeing Steve smile like that again was worth everything. He hadn’t seen a smile so genuine in his face since Joe’s death and if he had a chance to put it on his face again? Yeah, it didn’t matter how angry he was at him, or how much he had hurt him, he’d do it over and over again because there was nothing more beautiful in the world, except, perhaps, his children’s smiles.

Oscar better be proud of him and his development in the last 5 days, or else he might do something stupid. 

Like changing therapists out of spite. 

He stopped the waitress when she was coming their way, pad in hand and upon seeing the scene and recognising Danny she only smiled at went back inside.

A few minutes later Steve finally looked at him, his eyes shining with barely-refrained tears and he cuddled Eddie closer still, one hand petting him from head to mid-back.

He hadn’t realised how much he had missed his dog, hadn’t realised how much he had helped him, too. And how right Danny had been when he said that dogs were the most loyal animal out there.

Maybe Danny was part dog, that would explain everything. He’d be a big, scary dog, but with a heart of gold who wouldn’t hurt a fly unless it deserved it.

“Danno?” He looked up at him, licking his lips when he realised the soft look the blond was looking at him with, like that time he had been helping Grace with her Science project back when she was 9. A small lump formed in his throat at the thought of the young woman who was so mad at him she didn’t even say his name anymore. “Thank you.”

Danny cocked his head to the side, slightly confused. “For?”

Steve shrugged. “Taking care of him. Letting me see him. Letting me see the kids. Meeting me. Take a pick, it doesn’t matter, they all mean everything to me.”

Danny nodded and this time it was him who reached over for him, Steve instantly taking his hand and holding his fingers instead of interlacing them. “Hey, listen to me, babe. I meant it when I said I wanted to forgive you, Steve, I’m not gonna leave you hanging. And… if you keep working on it like you have until now, so will I.”

Steve’s eyes shone at those words and he nodded, looking almost like Charlie when he promised to do something that made his parents or siblings happy and proud.

“You ah, you called me babe.” He mumbled, biting his tongue as he waited for an answer.

Danny shrugged, but avoided eye contact for a few seconds, and Steve was sure he saw the tips of his ears reddening. “Well, you are calling me Danno so…” He didn’t offer any other explanation, but Steve would take it. He would take anything just to have that pet name back because it had felt like a stab to the guts when he had called Chin that way. Or when he had used it in that sneering tone. Yeah, that one hurt the worse.

“How’s everything?” He changed the topic, and Danny knew he wasn’t asking about Charlie’s hospital visit, because he had texted Danny that very same afternoon once he was sure they were done at the Hospital to check that Charlie was, in fact, in perfect health.

“Same old. Lots of paperwork, Chin is still calm as fuck, Kono definitely takes after you.” He replied, waving their waitress over. “Bringing Matt in was a good idea, he used to work with the BAU, a profiler. And it’s always good to have someone who is actually on good terms with the FBI to deal with them.” Ah, he  _ knew _ there was more to Danny simply accepting an ex-FBI profiler to the team and with Danny’s own relationship with the feds, it was no surprise he wanted someone else besides Kono to deal with them. “Bonnie and Clay remind me of the kids. Except that Clay definitely has a mouth on him. Took a while to get the ‘sirs’ out, though.”

“Hm, I’ve heard about him. Jason and Ray really like him. They said he could fly off the handles every now and then but that he was good and reliable.”

“Yeah well, I’d say managing SEALs is my superpower.” He chuckled before turning his head to the shop and smiling at the waitress, who was making her way back outside. “Hi, sorry about before.”

“No problem Lieutenant! Same as always?”

“Yes, please. And give me 4 of your cookies to go, please? You know they love them.”

“Of course. We haven’t seen Rachel in a while, is she ok?”

“Oh yeah, don’t worry. They had some big deal going down this past couple of weeks so she’s been buried in paperwork.” He explained. “Oh yeah, Steve, this is Marla, she’s our usual waitress. Marla this is Steve, we were partners in Hawaii.”

“Nice to meet you! Lieutenant Williams and the Task Force are some of our best customers!” She said, cheerly. “Oh, hi Eddie! I’ll bring you a treat, too!” The dog woofed at her. “Sorry. What will it be for you then?”

“Just a black coffee.” He replied, a small smile on his lips. “But I’ll take some cookies to go, too.” She nodded and headed back inside.

“How did you convince Lou to let Bonnie come over?”

Danny chuckled, shrugging. “I didn’t have to. He said that he would never force her to stay in Hawaii. The next day she sent everything we needed. Captain Kim is pissed at us for taking her, apparently SWAT had their eyes on her.”

“SWAT, huh?”

“Yeah. She would have been the first female SWAT member in HPD.” He replied. “But she said she would rather come work with us.” He smiled at Marla when she brought their orders and the treat for Eddie.

Carefully Steve set Eddie on the floor and Danny felt a lump form in his throat when Eddie rounded the table and settled down by his feet, because Eddie had chosen him. Over Steve. He chose  _ him _ and he was so happy about it, but when he looked up and saw the flash of pain in Steve’s eyes… A part of him still felt glad, but another one, (the one that was forgiving Steve every time he did something for him, be it a postcard, another plushie or coming over for his kids) felt a twinge of pain and sadness, because he knew how much Steve loved Eddie.

“Tell me about Coronado?” He asked instead, changing the topic once more, not only because he wanted to get that look of the brunette’s face, but because, really, Steve going anywhere near the Navy? It terrified him more than anything else, there were only so many captains he could blackmail so he could get into a military plane and get flown out to the middle of Afghanistan to rescue him and avoid Steve getting thrown into prison.

And there was also the fact he would never trust them, the same way he would never trust any 3 letter agency, because no matter how much Steve loved the Navy, he would never like them and maybe it had a lot more to do with all the people that had hurt Steve hailing from there or having some sort of affiliation with it (Catherine, Nick, Greer and lord knew how many more) or all the painful memories it had provided him in the form of people he lost, starting with his grandfather, than with the institution itself, but in his heart, that made no difference.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost forgot to post today! I really have no idea what day of the week it is half of the time.


	18. Chapter 18

**And there was also the fact he would never trust them, the same way he would never trust any 3 letter agency, because no matter how much Steve loved the Navy, he would never like them and maybe it had a lot more to do with all the people that had hurt Steve hailing from there or having some sort of affiliation with it (Catherine, Nick, Greer and lord knew how many more) or all the painful memories it had provided him in the form of people he lost, starting with his grandfather, than with the institution itself, but in his heart, that made no difference.**

“They want me for the third phase of the BUD/S. It’s...”

“Land warfare, I remember.”

And if Steve’s face brightened at him knowing that? Well, it was a nice thing to see, but if that idiot really thought he didn't remember anything about everything Steve told him about the Navy and being a SEAL over the last decade well... He'd have to apologise first and then hit him for being the biggest idiot in Hawaii. “Yeah. It’s when there’s more classroom work, maps, compass, land navigation… Weaponry, marksmanship, SUT and the likes.” He explained. “I only need to be there for those 7 weeks. I will still technically be on the Reserves but the one condition I set was that I was not going to be redeployed. I mean, it’s not like they don’t have much younger SEALs who can do everything I could do.” He shrugged. It used to bother him, not being an active SEAL because the Navy had been his life, but once he realised he would have to choose between Five-0 and the Navy, between  _ Danny  _ and the Navy, really, he knew what he would always choose. 

And it was sitting right in front of him.

“You… can set out conditions to the Navy?”

“I… I sent my retirement letter when I came back, Danno. It must have gotten through last week or so. They called me, they said they had an offer for me and to go down to an office building here in LA for the ‘interview’. I haven’t said yes yet, I wanted…” He shrugged but the way he looked up at him, blue hazel eyes shy and worried, told Danny exactly why he hadn’t accepted yet. And it made his heart skip a beat. “They agreed to the terms and I really like the idea of being an instructor.”

“Like Joe.”

“Yeah. Maybe not  _ that  _ much of a son of a bitch, though.” He chuckled, which caused Danny to do the same, his brain still processing that Steve had planned to retire. “We were wary of the other T.Os, but Joe? We were  _ terrified _ of him.”

He didn’t understand it, Steve and the Navy had always been a package deal so why would he send his retirement letter? “Why now? You hated not being on the Teams any more. You hated me for giving you my liver.”

Steve covered his mouth to not spray the blond with coffee in surprise, and while he still managed to swallow most of it some of it dribbled down his chin. “What!?” He exclaimed. “Danny, what? Why would you say that?”

Danny shrugged, looking away, feeling his throat close at one of his most hated memories. “Because it’s true. We all know it is. You… pulled away from me. It was like you couldn’t wait to get away from me. Or to make me angry by doing stupid shit so you had an excuse to fight with me.” Eddie stood up again on all fours, setting his head on Danny’s lap, whining low.

Fuck. Had really been thinking for that long that Steve didn’t care for him? How had he never realised it? How? It was like finding out Danny was claustrophobic after 4 years of being partners all over again. Did he really pay such little attention to his own partner? To the point he couldn't see him hurting this much? How did Danny manage to even go out on a raid with him when he thought Steve hated him? Thinking that maybe Steve wouldn’t have his back so he could be free of him?

He clenched the sob that worked its way up because that was not the moment to pity himself, he could do that later, with Mary or with Claire, but not now. Danny didn’t need that pressure right now, what he needed was reassurance that he could never hate him.

“Danny, that’s… that’s not it at all! I’m so sorry I hurt you, but it wasn’t… It wasn’t  _ you _ . It was me! I felt lost knowing I couldn’t go back to the Teams and I didn’t… I didn’t know how to cope and I lashed out. I’m sorry I took it out on you, I never wanted to hurt you.” He reached out, setting a hand on the table, palm up. “You are the last person I’ve ever wanted to hurt.”  _ But it seems that’s all I’ve been doing all this time _ , he thought.

“But, in the Hospital you said,” he was having trouble expressing his feelings, and Steve didn’t like that one bit, because Danny never struggled at that, Danny always knew how to make his feelings known and when he didn’t? It was because he didn’t know where he stood with the other person. “You said you  _ hated  _ me. That Charlie would grow to hate me, like you did.” His voice had gone down in volume, while the insecurity colouring his words increased at each syllable.

The words rang in his ears “ _ I promise you Danny, you give him time he’s gonna grow up to hate you as much as I do.” _

Danny pulling the curtain between them.

Danny acting like everything had been alright between the next morning.

Danny burying his real feelings again because of him.

“God, Danny, I was kidding. I could never hate you. You are the most important person in my life, bar none. You’ve always been! Since day one! Always will be. I  _ love _ you.” He prayed that someone was listening because somehow he kept screwing up over and over and had been for  _ years _ and never realised it. “There is no one in the world I trust more than you. And I’m sorry that I ever made you think that I didn’t because you’ve never given me a reason to doubt you Danno. I love you. Always will.” He repeated and he would say as many times necessary, until Danny had no doubt of it.

“Yeah?”

“Of course!” He grabbed his hand. “I’m sorry. Fuck, Danny. Why didn’t you say anything?”

The blond shrugged. “Because if I brought it up you would have deflected, joked about it or confirmed it and I hated all of those three options.” And one of them terrified him, but Steve didn’t really need to know that. He probably figured it out by himself anyways. “And then you uh, you told me you were going to Morocco and I, well, I figured if you really hated me you would have told Chin or Kono or Lou and kept me out of the loop.”

Steve let out a breath and grabbed his hand, squeezing tightly. “You are always my first call, Danny. Always, before anyone else.”

The blond nodded and gently squeezed back before taking a sip of his coffee and Steve could see the cogs turning in his head, his eyes pensive. 

“What is it, Danno?”

He didn’t get an immediate answer, he even thought that Danny hadn’t heard him: it had happened before, when he was too much into his own head, Danny could completely forget his surroundings.

“Will you be ok there? With the Navy?”

“Yeah, I just told you I won’t be re…”

“Mentally, Steven.” Danny interrupted, bruscally so, too. “Sorry.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I just, I worry about you.” He admitted, not looking at him, but if he did he would have seen how Steve perked up on his seat, leaning slightly over to him and how his smile brightened just that bit more.

“Oh! Ah, Claire said it was okay since it was not an all-time job, but I still have to call her every two days to check in.”

“Who’s Claire?” The cop questioned: Mary hadn’t mentioned anything about Steve dating again because if he was and no one told him he was not sure he could keep doing this, not if he was going to be pushed away and replaced with someone else.

“Claire? She’s my therapist.” He explained. He took Danny’s hand again, brushing his knuckles. “I should have gotten help a lot sooner, probably since Wo Fat kidnapped me, or when Doris came back, but I was… too proud, I thought I didn’t need a stranger’s help- I didn’t  _ want _ it. Maybe if I had we wouldn’t be here.” He lamented.

“Maybe.” He twisted his hand to encircle Steve’s wrist. “Or maybe we wouldn’t be at all, nobody knows.”

Steve gulped at those words. “What do you mean not being here?” Would Danny have left the islands regardless? Did he really mean that little to his old partner? No. No. He knew Danny loved him. Even now, after having hurt him that badly Danny still cared about him, he had just admitted that not even two minutes ago.

Danny shrugged. “We are old, babe. Maybe we would have stayed in Five-0 as we were, maybe we would have died in a shooting, an explosion, maybe a perp would have gotten lucky. There’s no sense in thinking about the ‘maybe’s and the ‘what if’s, we are here, and that’s what matters, isn’t it?”

Steve let out a slow breath: he knew Danny would have never left him. “Yeah. Yeah, it is.” He squeezed his wrist. “I… I really want to go to Coronado, Danno.”

Danny nodded. “I didn’t mean you shouldn’t. I just… I know you love the Navy, it’s part of who you are, you basically grew up there, but it also… it also holds bad memories and… You are so much better now babe, and I’d hate...”

“Danno,” Steve interrupted him swiftly, not wanting him to go down the-worst-option path again. Not today. “I’ve talked about it with Claire, for hours, and I promised to call her, and I’m not breaking that promise. And I’m also promising to call you, everyday. And if I can’t, I will text you.”

“You don’t have to do that, Steve.” Danny said, but even as those words left his mouth, Steve could see it in his eyes that he really wanted that, that he was afraid he would disappear again on him, and really, he understood.

“No. I do. I fucked up once Danny, I’m not doing it again. I promised I’d work on getting you back for as long as needed, and whether I’m here or in Coronado I intended to do exactly that.” The vehemence on his voice made Danny smile.

“Okay, but not every day, babe. That’s not necessary. I know how hard you are trying and you have no idea how much that means to me.” Because he honestly had expected a half-assed attempt at first, an attempt that would disappear when it didn’t yield results immediately, but Steve was still there, texting him almost every day, and when he didn’t was on the day that a postcard or a gift appeared on his desk: because it wasn’t only handmade plushies or figurines, it was also homemade cookies, Danny’s favourites sandwiches and a not fully successful try at coco puffs that while not as good as Liliha’s, they had tasty and just as heartwarming. Perhaps even more. He had spotted an identical box on the cousin’s desks: Chin’s were traditional coco puffs, Kono’s were green tea while Danny’s were both chocolate and cream. He saw a slightly bigger box in the common kitchen and it had meant more than anything in the world that Steve was reaching to people he didn’t really know and that as far as he knew, disliked him, just because they were close to his ohana, to his (hopefully still) best friend.

Without thinking, Danny raised Steve’s hand to his face, pressing his lips on his knuckles and it couldn’t even be considered a kiss, not really, it was more of a nuzzle than anything else.

But even so, Steve could feel a blush taking over his face because while in all of their years of friendships kisses on the cheek or forehead when one of them had been sick or distressed had been semi-normal, kisses that intimate had never made it. Maybe, if they had ever talked about their relationship, they would have. But then again, if they had, they wouldn’t be here right now, and that was not a maybe.

Danny knew he was playing a dangerous game and Oscar would probably have a field day with him on their next session, and he was aware that not everything was forgiven yet, but Steve was here, opening up about therapy, telling him about Coronado barely two days after from the not-interview and not accepting it until he talked it through with him, to make sure Danny was okay with it even though he really wanted to do it spoke louder than words ever could. And really, he was not sure he could do the whole we-could-be-more friendship for another decade.

“Three calls a week, we can text the other days.” He proposed. “Unless you need to talk to someone and Claire isn’t available or you’d rather talk to someone else, then you call me whenever you need, I don’t care what time it is, you send me a message so I know and I can get somewhere or tell you to wait in case I’m in a meeting and then call me.”

“You’d… do that? For me?” He asked, bewildered and Danny huffed,

“Steve, I’ve given you a piece of my liver, I think it goes without saying I’d pick up my phone at any given time for you.” He said, rolling his eyes and Steve chuckled, glad that his Danno was slowly coming back.

“Right. I uh, I know you’ve got Rachel and your team but… If you ever need to talk, offer goes both ways.”

Danny smiled at that. “You are my first call too, Steve.”

Steve smiled at those words before letting go of his hand to pet Eddie’s head after the dog settled under the table, facing him now, and while it hurt that he had clearly chosen Danny, he understood it and in one hand, he was glad for it, because he knew no one would treat Eddie better than Danno.

“Kono mentioned you had a meeting with the Governor and Abby?” He asked, changing the topic because he wasn’t sure he could have Danny telling him such nice things and not start crying from relief and because he was genuinely curious about it. Danny groaned in reply. “That well, huh?”

“Yeah, that well. Abby accused me of stealing Chin. And I apparently tricked him into joining me without telling he wouldn’t be the leader which, for the record, he knew from the first second.” He said, rolling his eyes. “The Governor brought up the numbers and they are underperforming so she’s given them a 3 months trial run and if they fail to bring their numbers up they will be dissolved and we’ll take charge of their area too. For what I can see, Chin was the only one pulling his weight in there.”

Steve nodded, feeling disappointed in Abby. “Wait, their area?”

“Yeah. It’s not only LA that we operate on, I mean, we do stay here more often than not since this is the most problematic area outside of San Francisco, but our territory goes from Los Banos to the Mexican border, theirs goes from Los Banos to the state border with Oregon.”

He… didn’t know that. He had thought that they only acted in LA and the metro area, not over half the state. It would explain why Danny would be gone some days.

“So what would happen if they don’t reach their minimum?”

“Well, I’m not a 100% sure yet, but I’ve talked over it with Kono and we would obviously need at least a second team, Chin and I would still coordinate everything from here if both teams had to be deployed at the same time in different areas, but the first thing we’d need to do is go through new candidates and those we turned down on the first round.” He explained. “I guess I would put Matt as the field leader on the other team, but I don’t want to break Bonnie and Clay, they make a really good team.” He shrugged. 

Steve nodded, smiling. “You are an amazing leader, Danno.” He brushed the tattoo on his thumb. “I mean, I already knew that, but the way you’ve brought the cousins and everyone else together… I’m really happy you have such a good team.” He smiled at him. “You were what kept us together in Hawaii.”

Danny snorted, rolling his eyes in that self-depreciating way he had and that Steve had always disliked so much. “I’m pretty sure that was you, Steven.”

But the brunette didn’t snark back, he simply shook his head. “No Danny, that was you. I… I wasn’t going to stay. I was going to use the excuse of the task force to get Hesse and then be gone but you… You made me want to stay. Chin and Kono too, of course, but it was mainly you. And then Gracie.”

Danny arched a golden eyebrow, ice blue eyes staring at him with curiosity. “We didn’t even like each other, Steven.”

“Yet you stayed. And don’t say you didn’t have another option, you could have gone back to HPD if you really wanted to be there, I've seen you hung up on officials before. The FBI director, too.” He grinned, all knowing. “And even so, you had my back. I had yours. And I knew you’d be the best partner I’d ever have.” He looked away, his face becoming more serious. “Even if I had stayed and you didn’t, Chin and Kono would not have been ohana. I would not have let them because I didn’t want to need anyone, I didn’t want people following my every order.”

“Uh, have you met them?” Danny questioned, staring at him with disbelief painting his face. “They wouldn’t have.”

“Ok, Kono probably wouldn’t have, she’s so cheeky. But Chin would have, whether it was because of my dad or because I was a SEAL, he would not have opposed me. And Kono wouldn’t have had your influence and would have fallen in line a lot more.”

“Oh, so now you are saying it’s my fault?” He glared at him, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Yeah, I’m saying exactly that. Danno, you punched me. I can’t even remember the last time punched me in the face before that.”

“You got me shot! And you were being an asshole.” Danny grumbled, pulling a laugh out of his partner: his Danno was coming back. He really was winning his trust and love again and that was the best feeling in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that for a lot of you it might still be Wednesday but it is Thursday at mine's so... I would post later in the day but work has been pretty much a Russian Roulette when it comes to schedule since they change on the very same day and I have no idea when I'll be called to go in.
> 
> I hope you liked it!


	19. Chapter 19

It took an additional three weeks after that cafe meeting with Danny (he refused to call it a date. Not yet, at least. One day, hopefully) until Nahele reached out to Steve and a part of him hurt that he hadn’t heard of him for more than a month since he had seen him, but Danny had told him that Nahele was still struggling with the pain and hurt he felt, but that every time he knew Danny had seen him he always asked about him, about what they had done. He also told him that the garage personnel had been working like crazy because of a series of truck hijackings, but more important was the fact that even though the task force was working on two separate cases most of the time (Danny mentioned cleaning up the department for moles Danny but that unlike with Meka’s case, they had to go slow and steady since no one knew they were working on that. Not even I.A.) still had met him for coffee once a week and agreed to go with Charlie to one of Joannie’s football matches with him and Mary. He had even let him take Charlie to the beach with Joannie, without him, Mary or Rachel present. And for Steve that meant the world, because it meant that Danny still trusted him.

They had called Junior and Tani, Charlie excited to see them and to show off his ‘cousin’, as the two kids had taken to calling each other.

He was in the middle of drawing Danny’s 8th postcard, a drawing of the ruins of Hore Abbey (the 4th had been the Stoney Creek Battlefield in Hamilton and the 5th had been the Don Quixote Statue in Philadelphia, the 6th the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and the 7th had been a drawing of a small house he had seen in a town in France) when his phone rang.

Unknown number.

“McGarrett.”

**“Steve?”**

“Nahele.” He dropped the pencil, sitting straighter. “Hi.”

**“Hi. I uh, if you are not busy… Could you come pick me up? The engine blew on me and mum is still working and dad is out on a case…”**

“Yeah, yeah, of course. Where are you?” He was already on his feet. “You know what, send me the locations, it’ll be easier.”

**“Okay. Hum, thanks Steve.”**

“Don’t mention it. Mare,” he poked his head in the kitchen. “I’m going to pick Nahele, his engine blew up, do we need something from the supermarket?”

“Bring some eggs. Is he ok?”

“Yeah, he’s fine. Do you want me to take Joannie so you can finish this?” He questioned; not long after adopting Joan, Mary had found what she wanted to do: she worked at a social centre, helping teenagers find their way out of drugs and trouble, counselling them and helping them write their CVs and find entry-level jobs.

“You’d do me a favour.” She replied, turning her head to smile at him. “Joan, do you wanna go with Uncle Steve to see Nahele?”

“Yeeeeees!” She rushed to the kitchen, grabbing Steve’s hand. “Can we stay for dinner at Uncle Danno’s? Please?”

Steve bent over to pick her up. “I’m sorry sweetheart, but not today. Danny and Rachel are really busy. We can ask them if you can go on the weekend, if mama agrees.” He suggested, looking at Mary.

“Yeah, sounds good for me.” She grinned at the sight in front of her. He knew Steve was good with kids, he had seen him interact with Danny’s children before, but she never expected him to be that good. Yet another thing she had to thank Danny for.

“Alright. Let’s go, then.”

* * *

They found Nahele sitting on the stairs of a building, playing on his phone.

“Hele!” Joannie called, waving at him from her seat.

Steve couldn’t help but smile when the boy smiled at his niece back, climbing into the passenger seat.

“Joannie! Howzit?” He asked, twisting around to look at her.

“Good! Mama, me and Uncle Steve made cookies!” And off she went on to explaining exactly how they made the cookies.

“Oh, did you bring me some?”

“Yeah!” She tugged on the plastic bad Mary had given her and that explained why he could smell the cookies.

“Really? Thanks, Joannie. You are the best!” She smiled at him, pride shining in her eyes at his words.

The ride was spent with Joannie telling Nahele about her day, Steve smiling and laughing along. When he finally made it to Danny's, Steve stared at the place: it was  _ huge _ and he could help but feel happy and proud at the enormous change that was compared to that dingy place he had back in Hawaii. Or the moldy hotel. He unlocked the doors, but the boy didn’t move to get out.

“I uh… can we talk?” He was nervous. He was so damn nervous, because it was one thing to talk with Steve when Danno was near them, ready to swoop in if things got out of control but Danno wasn’t even in LA right now, but he  _ needed _ to talk to Steve.

He missed him.

He missed talking with him, working on the Marquis, going out for a run or just… being with him. He had been such an important person for him and after seeing how good he had been treating Danny and Charlie he wanted… he wanted that for himself, too. 

“Yeah! Yeah, of course. Is someone home?”

“Gracie and Charlie.”

He nodded before he twisted to look at his niece. “Hey sweetheart, do you want to go play with Charlie for a little while? Uncle Steve needs to talk with Nahele for a bit.”

“Yeah! Byt Hele!”

She jumped out of the car before he could say anything else and ran to knock on the door and Grace opened, followed Joan’s finger when she pointed at the car and Steve tensed when their eyes connected, but before he could even raise a hand, the door slammed close.

Nahele looked at the house, sadness behind his eyes when he turned to look at Steve. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think…”

Steve shook his head. “Don’t apologise, you don’t have to. I deserve it. I know I hurt her, all of you.” He gave him a small smile. “Danny said you have been buried in work.”

“Yeah, someone has been causing trouble with the eight-wheelers on the highway.” He shrugged.

“I’m happy you are doing something you love, kid. No one deserves it more than you.” He smiled at him.

“Dad got me the job because he knew how much I love cars.” He said. “And the guys at the garage are nice.” Steve nodded, glad to hear that, though he knew that if someone had so much as glared at Nahele, Danny would have ripped them a new one. “I uh… I’m still angry at you but, but you have stayed and I know you’ve been giving Dad gifts and Joannie and Charlie talk about you all the time and…”

He shook his head, trying to get his ideas in order. It helped that Steve didn’t hurry him and was simply waiting for him to continue talking.

“And Charlie won’t shut up about how you pinky promised him you are not leaving and that you… that you still love us and…”

“I’ll never stop loving you.” Steve interrupted, curling a hand around his knee. “Never. Doesn’t matter what happens, I’ll still love you.” He interrupted, clasping his hand around the teens boney knee. “Unless you murder someone, I’d have conflicted feelings about that.” Nahele chuckled at that. “What is it, kid?”

Nahele squirmed before he looked up to him, that defiance that was Biancci through and through (and he should know, he had seen it in every single member of the Williams family besides the elder Williams), but it had some Hollander mixed in it, and he could see Gracie right there in those eyes.

And one side he still felt guilty about leaving the way he did because he had hurt Nahele even more and he should have known, he knew what it felt to be forgotten and pushed away from those you love, yet he had gone and done the same thing his dad had done to him with Nahele, but on the other hand, he was sort of glad that he had, because Nahele finally got the family he deserved: a loving mother, because for all of her fault, he could never say Rachel didn’t love her children with all of her being, a little brother that adored him, a little sister who would sass him and defend him tooth and nails if someone toed the line because Nahele was such a soft, kind hearted boy, and the best father anyone could ask for. If his dad had been an eighth of Danny, Steve would have gone home a lot more.

“I got my hands on a beat up car and I was wondering if you… if you wanted to, to, to repair it with me?” He asked and true, his voice was shy, but he was still maintaining eye contact.

And Steve was at a loss of words because that was not what he had been expecting. At all. He hadn’t done anything for Nahele, wanting the boy to reach out first because the last thing he wanted was to be overbearing and drive him away.

“Y-yes, of course Nahele!” He said, grinning at him.

The boy smiled at him, shyly. “And we can go for lunch some days? Without dad?”

Steve’s lips twitched before he answered, Nahele’s stomach already filling up with dread at his words because he had asked for too much too soon. He should have waited. He had just said he was still angry with him, what had he been thinking? Of course Steve would be wary.

“So long as Danny is ok with it, yeah, we can out for lunch.” He replied, smiling at the surprise on his face.

“You’d… ask Danno?” That was not the answer he had been expecting. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting if he was being completely honest, but that was not it. Steve was not one to ask for permission, or to listen to others when he really wanted something.

Steve shrugged. “I know I’m still on thin ice, Hele, and just like I would never take Charlie or… Grace out without his consent, I won’t take you.”

Nahele cocked his head to the side, looking shy and confused and so, so sad. “But I’m not… I’m not his  _ son _ .” He replied, his voice dripping hurt and longing and how many times hadn’t Steve thought the same about Joe when the man tried his best to protect him and made it all even more confusing? So he did the thing he had wanted back then and hugged him, cradling his head in his big hand. And his heart twisted painfully when Nahele clung to him.

“Oh Nahele, kiddo.” He stroked his back, gently. “Hele, you  _ are _ his son. He loves you so much, you know that, right? And he lets you call him Danno, you know that’s something he only lets his kids do. And you call him dad, so of course you are his son.”

The boy shook his head. “I don’t… Not in front of him.”

Steve frowned at those words before pulling away, looking at him dead in the eye. “Why not? Is it because of Grace and Charlie?” The answer he didn’t receive was answer enough. “Have you talked with them?” Nahele shrugged. “If you are worried about it, talk to them, kiddo, I promise it’ll help.”

“What if they hate me?” His voice was muffled by Steve’s shoulder, but it still carried, so did the worry on his voice.

Steve barely refrained the urge to scoff at those words. “Nahele, Danny loves you, so does Rachel, and Charlie, and I’m sure Grace loves you too.”

“You don’t…”

“I don’t need to see her to know that, kid. Do you really think Danny and Rachel would have taken you in if she had a problem with it?” Danny’s heart was so big it barely fit in his chest, but never, under no circumstances, would he do something that put his children at odds with him unless it was for their own safety.

And Steve did have a point there, Nahele noted, because Danny would go to any length for those he loved and that definitely included adopting someone and offering them a place in their family, a home and a job.

“Yeah, I guess you are right.” He nodded. 

“Talk to him, Nahele. Talk to Grace first if you are worried, but I promise you, you have nothing to worry about.” He smiled at him when the kid nodded. “I’ll talk to Danny tomorrow, yeah?”

“Thank you, Steve.” The man gave him another hug, and he responded in kind, pressing against him even more than he had before.

“Don’t thank me for that. You deserve this and so much more, Hele. I should have never left the way I did, and I know nothing I can say will make up for it, but I’m really not going anywhere, and that  _ is  _ a promise.” He pressed his cheek against his head. “I’m sorry Nahele, I really am.”

The boy shrugged, but didn’t pull away, and Steve counted that as a semi-win. “If you ever do something like that again you might as well not come back.”

“Noted. But I’m not going anywhere. Except maybe back home or Mary will have my head if I forget the eggs.” 

That finally did it, that finally broke the ice as Nahele broke out laughing which brought a smile in Steve’s face.

“Thank you, Steve.” Nahele said, before hugging him again. “I’ll go get Joannie for you.”

“Ok. Oh hey, can you send Charlie out, too? I have something for him.”

The boy nodded before he headed into the house, yelling something and almost instantly two blond kids appeared and ran full force towards the car.

“Uncle Steve!” Charlie jumped and latched onto his neck. “Are you staying for dinner? Gracie made baked ziti! Like Danno makes! Can Joannie stay?”

Steve hugged him back, kissing his blond head. “Sorry buddy, we can’t stay. I haven’t asked Danno or your mom.”

“But…”

“Joannie can stay if Mary is ok with it.” His head snapped up when he heard that voice: Grace. She was leaning against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest and staring him down and in her eyes he could see every ounce of Williams and Hollander defiance her parents had. “Hele and I are used to  _ staying _ with them and  _ taking care _ of them.”


	20. Chapter 20

**“Joannie can stay if Mary is ok with it.” His head snapped up when he heard that voice: Grace. She was leaning against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest and staring him down and in her eyes he could see every ounce of Williams and Hollander defiance her parents had. “Hele and I are used to** **_staying_ ** **with them and** **_taking care_ ** **of them.” Steve gulped: she was not holding her punches and she was aiming to hurt.**

And she was succeeding.

She was succeeding very much and very, very well.

“Please, Uncle Steve? I’ll call mommy!” Joannie interrupted, her eyes big and blue, her bottom lip jutting out and really, how could he say no when Charlie joined her and Grace was still staring at him?

“Ok, call Mary. But if she says no, I won’t you back here without putting up a fuss, ok?”

“Okay…” She drawled and went back inside in search of Nahele so he could help her call Mary, Charlie staying where he was and staring at him.

Chuckling he then reached inside the car and pulled out a neatly wrapped package. “I brought you something else.”

“Really?” Charlie smiled at her and the contrast between the two siblings’ demeanour was so great it made his heart constrict because he could still remember how excited Grace had been when he brought a dolphin plushie when she was about the same age as her brother.

“Yeah.” He gave him the gift and before he could get another word out, Charlie was already tearing the paper, a high pitched squeal of excitement escaping from his mouth the second he saw what it was.

It had probably been the hardest gift to get: an elephant plushie dressed like a baseball player but lucky him, he found one in Japan, in the Chiba Marine Stadium. He had debated between that and the rollerblades, but he was pretty sure Rachel would murder him if Charlie used them inside the house without his parents’ supervision and screwed up the nice wooden floor Danny had once mentioned they had.

“You found one!” He wrapped his little arms around him again, kissing his cheek. “Grace look! He plays baseball, like Danno.”

“That’s really nice Charlie!” She exclaimed and although Steve could hear the edge of the cheerfulness being forced, she really did seem genuine, probably because she loved seeing her little brother so happy. “What are you going to name him?”

“Hmm… Bassie! I’ll put him next to Rollie!” Before he could say anything else, Charlie had taken off to his room clutching his new plushie, leaving his sister and his adoptive uncle alone.

Steve opened his mouth but he had no idea of what he should say because just like with Nahele, he had not been expecting a meeting. But unlike Nahele, he had no idea of how to tackle the situation. It was even worse when he took into account that Danny wasn’t there.

He saw her walk up to him, saw her raise her arm, but the sting on his cheek still took him by surprise. And while it didn’t hurt as much as Danno’s punch did, the similar reaction they had stunned him for a few seconds.

“Grace…”

“Why did you come back? Danno was doing fine without you! He was getting better! He didn’t need you! He doesn’t need you!” She screamed, his heart breaking in a million pieces at her words. “You should have never come back!”

He thought he had fucked up with Danny, but this just proved that he had done even worse by Grace and really, she had every right in the world to hate him: how many times had he promised her he would always have Danny’s back? That he would always be there for him? For  _ her _ ? And he had left, without even calling to say goodbye and had disappeared for a year without even sending a lonely message to her or anyone else.

“Grace…” He said when she stalked towards him.

“No! You left Danno alone after he almost died because of that Daiyu lady!” She poked at his chest with a very pointy finger at every sentence. “He had nothing to do with it and she still took him! He still has nightmares about it! And it’s all your fault!” Could he even say it wasn’t? When in his worst days he agreed with her wholeheartedly? “Because you left him! Danno thought you left because of him! That  _ he  _ was the problem!”

_ What? _ His guts twisted inside of him: had Danny really thought he had left because of him? How could he have ever thought so?

“And-and you said you stayed for your dad and that we weren’t anything to you. That we meant nothing! That you… that you didn’t love us!”

“What?” He snapped, looking up at her stormy brown eyes. “No! Grace, you are the most important people in my life!” He grabbed her hands when she tried to swat at him, very much like her dad had done, too. “Stop!”

“Shut up! You don’t get to tell me what I can or can’t do!” She growled, yanking her arms back. “You left when Danno needed you the most! He stayed with you every time you needed it! He gave-He gave you his liver, but when he needed his best friend you just-you just abandoned him!”

He opened his mouth to reply when the door flung open again and they both looked up to see Nahele standing there, looking very unimpressed at their little scene. “Can you please do this inside? Mrs. Chun just called to tell me a man is yelling at my sister.” He interrupted, holding the door open.

Grace twirled around and stared at the younger man before moving, glaring at Steve and pointing at the door. And if he went inside in a rather fashionably meek way, well that was because Grace could be terrifying when she was angry: because whereas Charlie looked and acted more like Danny, Grace was the perfect mix of her parents and both of them were terrifying when angry.

He followed her to the basement.

“Why are you back?” She questioned, her hands resting on her hips and wow, she looked 30 years older and he could see Clara standing like that when scolding her kids.

And he found himself unable to lie to her. With a sigh he sat down on the sofa. “I love your dad, Grace. More than anything else in the world.”

“Right, sure. You love my dad, but still fucking left him when he could barely move.”

“I thought… I thought I was protecting him if I just… went away. That I was protecting  _ you _ .”

She sneered. “That doesn’t make any sense! How does that compute even on your brain? The bad guys suddenly won’t care if you are not near Danno when they attack him? When he’s defenseless and you are nowhere to be found so he’d be the perfect bait to lure you out?”

He shrugged, defeated. “Yeah, something like that. I know I fucked up, Grace,  _ I know _ . But at that time I really thought I was doing the best for everyone. I wasn’t in a good space back then, some days I still am not, but almost losing Danno like that, because of something that my mother did was too much. And I swear,  _ I swear _ , that I really had your best interests in mind. Even if I went about it in the worst way possible.”

“So what, Danno should have just walked away from me that time his old partner took me?” She questioned and yeah, she did have a point there. 

“Grace…” He looked up at her and god, she had grown so much: long gone was that little girl who had ratted her dad out, smiling all cheeky and asking for nachos, now he had a fierce, loyal, young woman in front of him.

He felt so old, all of a sudden, like instead of 43 years old he felt like he was 83.

“Don’t you dare say it wasn’t the same thing! It was! It was the same thing! He took me because he hated Danno and I was the thing he loved them most! And she took Danno because she hated you and she thought you loved him the most! But you didn’t… You didn’t have to tell him you only stayed to solve your dad’s murder when he was already hurting! You could have lied!”

Oh god. Oh no. She thought… “Grace  _ that _ was the lie!” He exclaimed, moving to hold her arms, both for comfort and to avoid another smack. He could feel his cheek heating up. “I did stay on the island because of my dad at the beginning, but that was before I really got to know you and Danno, and Chin and Kono. My dad brought me to the island, you guys gave me a real reason to stay!” He ran a hand through his hair. “Grace, one of my happiest memories is meeting you. Even if the game turned to shit, I still treasure that day because I met  _ you _ .”

She seemed to calm some at his words, but hot, burning anger still burned in her eyes. “Then  _ why _ the fuck would you say that to Danno?”

“Because I felt that if I voiced I loved him I would put him at an even greater risk and god, Grace, you have no idea how I felt when I saw the Camaro burning. I thought Danny was inside, that he was being burnt alive.” A choked sob escaped his throat, but he didn’t care, just the mere memory of it tore him from the inside. “I’ve seen people being burnt, I’ve heard their cries and their pain and just the thought that Danny was going through that…”

She flopped down next to him, crossing her arms again. “I heard Danno say you tried to get him out of the car. That you have a scar because of it.” He nodded, inside of where this was going now. “You are ok?”

“Yeah.”

“Good, then I won’t feel bad for doing this.” Before he could even ask her she hit him on the arm, glaring at him again.

“Grace!”

“What? You thought some pretty words would do it?” She growled: great, she had also inherited her mother’s acting skills. “You left Danno behind to go with  _ her _ .” She didn’t have the same edge of raw anger, she sounded disappointed now. And somehow that hurt even more.

“With who? What are you talking about?”

“With Catherine! I’m not a little kid anymore, I know why you left with her! So why did you come back if you are gonna go back to her when she appears on your doorstep again? She left you, after Danno had asked her to stay” Danny did what now? Why was he only hearing about this now? “And then he had to pick up the pieces she left behind.”

Oh. He pushed Danny and Catherine’s talk aside: he had more pressing things to clear up. “Grace, I did  _ not leave with Catherine.  _ And I certainly did not leave Danny for her! She cornered me in the plane but as soon as we landed I left her here in LAX and I went to a hotel. By my own. The only person I wanted with me I had just failed in the worst of ways.” He sighed, slumping against the back of the couch. “Grace, I love your dad more than anyone. Certainly more than Cath.” And just like he told him every time he saw him, he would say it as many times as she needed to believe him that they meant the world to him. That they  _ were _ his world.

“Not the same kind of love.”

He shook his head, smiling slightly at the thought of Danno, laughing, blue eyes twinkling in delight and blond hair gleaming in the sun, relaxed on the beach, stretched out. God, he wanted that. He wanted that so much. Every single day. He wanted a happy Danny by his side,  _ truly _ by his side every day of the week, every hour of the day. He wanted to call him his partner again, but instead of his work partner, his  _ life _ partner. “Same kind of love, Grace.”


	21. Chapter 21

**He shook his head, smiling slightly at the thought of Danno, laughing, blue eyes twinkling in delight and blond hair gleaming in the sun, relaxed on the beach, stretched out. God, he wanted that. He wanted that so much. Every single day. He wanted a happy Danny by his side, _truly_ by his side every day of the week, every hour of the day. He wanted to call him his partner again, but instead of his work partner, his _life_ partner. “Same kind of love, Grace.”**

Steve smiled because he had just admitted it! And god, it felt good to tell someone else besides Claire or Mary, to someone who knew Danno as much as he did. Probably even more in certain areas, hopefully less in some others.

Her head whipped around so fast that for a second he worried she was going to get whiplash. Her eyes were big as saucers and her jaw was hanging open. “What?”

He shrugged, looking at her. “No one can compare to him. Not Lynn, not Brooke, not Cath. That’s why I thought I had to leave, because losing him would break me in ways I can’t even imagine. That I don’t want to imagine.”

“That…” She huffed, throwing up her arms and standing up again to start pacing. “That makes it worse! You don’t know how bad he was! He thought I didn’t know because I wasn’t there, but I could hear it in his voice when we talked.”

He nodded, understanding. “You are right, I don’t know, and doing that to him,  _ to you _ , is something I will regret for the rest of my life.”

“He thought he meant nothing to you, Steve! That you… that you had just kept him close because you could use him. He really thought he was just another… I don’t know, soldier... sorry, sailor, to you. And that was what really hurt him, y’know? He said he understood why you left, tried to defend you, but saying that you only stayed to solve your dad’s case...” He nodded: he would never forget Danny’s words in his office, they were branded with fire in his brain. How could he have been so blind? Why did he think that Danny, Danny whose brain always went to the worst outcome possible, would not assume that he had been the problem? How could he have forgotten that Danny who, as brilliant as he was in his job always believed those he loved, would really believe him? “Why didn’t you tell him?” Grace's voice brought him back to reality.

Steve shrugged. “So many reasons, Grace. I was in the Navy when DADT was in full force, it took me years to even accept that I liked your dad in that way.” And when he finally accepted it, a few weeks later he was laying on a Hospital bed with a new liver, maybe he should have started to go to therapy when he realised it and wasn’t sure how to cope with it instead of telling Danny he hated him and that his son would hate him too. “And Danny is a cop and sure, DADT wasn’t a thing for him, but it was still hard for him too. LGBT cops didn’t have it easy,  _ don’t _ have it easy. I’ve heard stories about how they are treated, Grace, and I would not wish any of that upon my worst enemy.” He said and she nodded: she too had heard stories and tales here and there. “And there was your mom, and Gabby, and Cath, and Melissa, and Lynn. And when we both were sort of single Doris died, your dad was in the car accident and it just went downhill from there.”

She nodded, sitting down on the edge of the sofa and all Steve saw for a few seconds was the little girl who listened to her father’s words and clung to them like her life depended on it.

“Does he know, now?”

Steve nodded before taking her hand and he smiled a bit when she didn’t pull away. “It’s not like that Grace. We’ve always known there was something more, and your dad probably realised it way before I did, but we were both afraid to bring it up, that it would mess with what we already had. We both have shit track records with relationships, and I, for one, did not want to be another person who hurt Danny like that.” He sighed, giving her a sad smile. “I fucked up anyways, but yeah, he knows.”

“And?”

Steve shrugged. “And nothing, Grace. I messed up and if all he can give me is just friendship, I’ll accept that. I’ll accept whatever you want to give me, no matter how small. And… and if  _ you  _ can’t give me anything… It’ll hurt, God, it’ll hurt a lot, but I’ll accept and respect that.” He doubted they were going down that road, at least with Danny, but he was also aware that if Grace didn’t forgive him at least a bit, it was quite likely that Danny would not take a chance on him.

She didn’t say anything, she just stared at the wall in front of them without muttering a single word. Could she? Could she trust him like she used to? Because him leaving without even texting good bye had hurt, had hurt so much. And when Nahele told her he didn’t go see him to explain the situation, that he had simply texted him she had felt anger rise inside of her, because she had Danno, and mom and Charlie. She had aunts and grandparents and cousins, but Nahele only had Steve and he was just another parent who left him.

She had been so happy when Danno had asked her if she would be okay with Nahele moving in with them in Los Angeles and she loved Charlie with all her heart, but they didn’t have much in common yet and she wanted someone else who understood internet slang, that understood the same references, someone else who understood what being a cop’s kid meant. She loved Nahele like an older brother, and hated to see him in pain.

Charlie cried for months because he was sure that Steve didn’t love them. That he had left because of something they did. They had not explained exactly what had happened to Danny, he was too young to understand and really, they didn’t need to traumatise him like that so all he saw was that his dad had gotten badly hurt and his Uncle Steve had just upped and left them behind, not even calling for his birthday, so of course he thought they had done something wrong.

And Danno. God. She wanted to punch Steve again, but refrained. It had taken three months for Danny to even tell her what had Steve done that warranted not even talking about him, but once he told her she understood and she too refused to even speak his name. If he had left after Danno was feeling a little bit better, or if he still had left like that but called… She would have supported him. 

She understood why he felt like he had to leave, even if his thought process made 0 sense, she understood wanting to get space, to pull away from the things that had hurt him and the same way it had been driving for her, it had been the island for him. But telling Danno that he had only stayed to solve his dad’s murder? Sure, she knew Steve’s leaving hurt Danno, but he also understood: she knew Danno and mum went to live in Boston for a little while when Danno’s partner Grace was killed so of course Danno understood needing to get away, but telling him that awful, stupid, unnecessary lie had been what finally broke him. Nahele had told her that Danno had been skipping his PT sessions and only had gone back to it when Adam and Junior made him realise that he would miss so much of Charlie’s life if he stayed like that, holed up in his room, in pain and not getting better.

Steve had never lied to her before, had always kept his promises, even the more unlikely one of bringing Danno back from prison. But she still couldn’t forget the haunted look on her dad’s clear eyes when she went back for summer break last year. But looking at Steve next to her, she could see the same cloudiness in his eyes and she saw that he was truly remorseful, that it wasn't just them who suffered from the separation, that Steve had also suffered. She wondered how many times he had his phone on his hand ready to call them.

And Danno had been happier since they had started seeing each other for coffee every week. She heard Danno talking to mom about the little presents and hand drawn postcards, about the figurine of the dog he had when he was in the Academy and how he hadn’t even remembered telling them about her until he saw it. How the first thing he had made him was about meeting Gracie. 

And Charlie was definitely delighted to have him back, telling everyone about what they had done together and maybe she hadn’t wanted to hear about him, but she was so happy to see him so happy that she had listened to every word she said.

Nahele had told her about his meeting with Steve the same day it happened, but they never spoke of it again, both aware of where the other stood within the topic: he wanted to see him again and she had no interest in seeing him.

“I’m sorry I hit you. Shouldn’t have done that.” She said and as apologies went it was a bit lackluster, but he had seen her do much worse. He had done much worse, too.

“No, you shouldn’t have.” He agreed because when he said he wasn’t lying to them anymore, it was also for the bad things. “But I understand you are angry and hurt.” And really compared to Kono’s punch upon seeing him, Grace’s slap had been like a love tap. “Not sure Danno would be too happy though.” He grinned slightly.

“Definitely not.” She agreed and her smile was a bit bigger this time around, her eyes twinkling like they always did when she had done something that would warrant her parents exclaiming her name in reprimand. “Mum even less. A lady mustn’t hit, Grace.” She said under her breath before she looked up at him. Staring for almost a full minute. “You can’t promise Charlie not to leave again.” She finally said, turning to look at him. “It’ll break his heart when you do leave.”

“What?”

“You still are in the Reserves, aren’t you? If they deploy you…”

“Grace, I’m not getting re-deployed.” He interrupted her. “And that is a promise.”

She looked up, surprised. “You are not in the Navy anymore? But you always said...” He always said he’d die a sailor.

“There was one thing I realised when I was away, and that was that my life means nothing if you guys are not in it, and that between the Navy and the chance of doing right by you, there was no competition. I sent my resignation letter as soon as I set foot back in US soil.” He explained and for a second he doubted if he should tell her about Coronado, but just like with Dnany, he knew that a lie by omission was still a lie in her eyes. “They called me a bit over three weeks ago to offer me a position as a T.O. down in Coronado. I have until the end of this month before I send my reply.”

“You said you resigned!” Sh exclaimed, frowning at him, clearly not following where this was going. 

“Yeah and I did, but apparently some Captain or other thinks I would be more useful as a T.O. than going to Bake sales or PTA meetings. I said that I would agree, but that they couldn’t redeploy me. That they couldn’t send me anywhere but Coronado and San Clemente. I have a lawyer going through the contract they sent me to make sure there are no loopholes.”

She nodded. “Does Danno…?”

“He’s the first person I told after my therapist.” He said. “I meant it Grace: I’m doing things like I should have done them from the start.”

She nodded, understanding: he really was trying it wasn’t Danno trying to make his gestures seem bigger than they were, and just for that she felt her anger lessen a bit more. But just in case, she pressed a bit more.

“If you ever lie to Danno again I’ll tell Auntie Kono. And Uncle Chin. And Tani.” She threatened, standing up. “Oh, and Aunt Bridget. You don’t wanna see her angry.” If she was anything like her older brother, he really did not.

“Never again. That is also a promise.” He said, also standing up. “I haven’t told Nahele about Coronado yet, I felt like it would be better if I told him once it was all tied up. But if he asks and you want to tell him, I’m fine with that.”

But Grace shook her head. “No. That’s… that’s your choice. I… Thank you for telling me.” She gave him a short, barely-there smile, but it was a smile, so it made his heart soar nonetheless.

“Thank you for letting me explain.”

She paused in the middle of the stairs. “I’m still angry.”

“I know. I understand that.”

“But if you really are staying…”

“Which I am.”

“Don’t interrupt, Uncle Steve.” She said absentmindedly like she would always do, not realising how she had called him after spending an hour making sure to not say those two words. “But if you are really staying and keep making Danno happy, I know I’ll be able to forgive you.”

“That’s all I want, Grace.” He replied. “I’ll never be able to forgive myself for what I’ve done to all of you but if I can get you to look at me and not hate me, that’ll be more than enough.”

“I don’t hate you. I’m sorry I said you should have never come back. Danno has been happier since you’ve started to hang out again. He’s sleeping better, too.” She confessed, shaking her head. She almost did hate him, she had been so angry at him it blinded her, before listening to him, but now she just felt… “Disappointed. You were the best thing Danno had in his life aside from me and Charlie and you just vanished. I’m not mad that you left, I understand you needed time away, it’s  _ how _ you left. But I… I don’t think I could ever hate you. I mean, mom has also done some really nasty things to Danno and I still forgave her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God guys, I am so sorry for not updating yesterday, but work wiped me out for good and I crashed as soon as I got home.
> 
> And Gracie's part really got long, because we still have some more left for the next chapter


	22. Chapter 22

**“I don’t hate you. I’m sorry I said you should have never come back. Danno has been happier since you’ve started to hang out again. He’s sleeping better, too.” She confessed, shaking her head. She almost did hate him, she had been so angry at him it blinded her, before listening to him, but now she just felt… “Disappointed. You were the best thing Danno had in his life aside from me and Charlie and you just vanished. I’m not mad that you left, I understand you needed time away, it’s _how_ you left. But I… I don’t think I could ever hate you. I mean, mom has also done some really nasty things to Danno and I still forgave her.”**

Once she understood that her mother had kept Danno away from Charlie, that she had known all along and kept Danno away because she thought Danno attracted danger, she had been enraged and it also taken a lot of time, a lot of talking, a lot of cold shoulder and silent treatment. She found out when she was fifteen when Danno and her mum were fighting and Danno brought the topic out, his words, filled with burning anger and devastating sadness, forever burned in her mind: _"You hid my son from me for three years, Rachel!"_

One of the main reasons she went to the mainland for University instead of staying in Oahu had been because she needed to be away from her. 

She had sort of understood her reasoning, but she would never agree with it or condone it: it had been so cruel to deny Danno being a dad to Charlie, and to lie to Stan who, for all intents and purposes, really tried his best and being a father figure to her, too, hadn't pushed her away when Charlie came.

She had a lot of friends with divorced parents (and who didn’t, nowadays? She could barely name more than ten friends whose parents were still married) and a lot of them had said that they had lost that parent-child connection after a few years, most of them citing a new family of the parent who didn’t have custody, or because they moved, so when she said that her dad had followed her to Hawaii even though he hated it everyone agreed that he was a great dad. She could see that the whole thing about moving had really been her mom trying to pull her away from Danno, but it was like she hadn’t been married to him for a decade, like she hadn’t known just how stubborn and fiercely loyal her dad was and that if they had moved to Europe, he would have followed regardless.

Her mom had said that he was a great father multiple times, too. But she _still_ hid Charlie for him, and only told him because he was dying. She felt anger rise again.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm down, it would not do any good to get angry again, regardless of the person. And they had done that dance already and it had been clear they would never see eye to eye. Especially since she had decided to be a cop, too. To follow on Danny’s footsteps. 

“Not the same kind of love, Grace.” Steve finally replied, smiling softly at her and he looked so, so sad it made her heart clench.

She didn’t reply, she simply stared at him with her head cocked to the side, as if studying him. He blinked at her, unsure of what she was looking for in his face. In the end she only turned around and walked him to the door. 

“Hey, Joannie is staying, we’ll drop her by tomorrow or on Sunday, if you want.” Nahele said from the sofa. “We have some of her clothes, so don’t worry about bringing a change.”

“Okay, thanks Nahele.” He called out, following Grace outside. “Good evening!”

“Good evening!” Danno was definitely being a bad influence, he never yelled like that before.

Grace walked him to his car and once he was inside she leaned over the window. “And by the way? Same kind of love.” She didn’t wait for a reply, she simply slapped the hood a couple of times and made a hasty retreat inside the safety of her home.

* * *

He stayed there, sitting behind the wheel, frozen, his mind a whirlwind of stray thoughts as his mind locked on the words she had just said: _Same kind of love_. Grace… Grace loved him like a dad? Like she loved Danno? Okay, no, maybe not like her Danno because if Danny loved his children above everything and everyone, his children did the same with him. But she loved him like she loved Rachel, she saw him like another parental figure.

And he had _left_. Fuck, no wonder she was so hurt about him leaving. 

And the worst part? Is that he had seen her like a daughter, too. Even if him and Danno never were anything other than friends, he had fallen in love with that little who tattled on her father one minute into knowing them. Into knowing _him_.

Why did it never occur to him that maybe those feelings went both ways? 

All the times he had to bring her to the hospital because Danny had gotten hurt, or every time Danny had brought her to the Hospital when he had been forced to stay. Or when they came on Saturday afternoon for dinner and a movie. The Aloha girls trip. Or when she broke down in his arms when Danny had been taken away to Colombia and he promised to bring him back no matter what.

He rubbed a hand over his eyes, sighing: if he had tried to do everything worse, he probably wouldn’t have been able. And yes, he understood that he had been in a bad place, still was some days even if they were fewer and more apart, but the fact that he hadn’t even considered how what he was doing would hurt them, because he hadn’t even thought that they would miss him, he was so sure their lives would go on as usual.

Except they didn’t. He had been so close to losing them for good. To lose Danny. The kids. He had almost lost his family, but instead he had gotten back just in time, and every single one of them, individually, still had enough love in their heart for him to give him a second chance and earn his spot back into their lives.

* * *

Once he was sure he was okay, he drove home as fast as he could and went straight to his room, s topping only to kiss Mary on the head on his way up. As soon as he flopped down on the bed he texted Danny.

**Can you talk? Are you busy?**

Danny didn’t bother replying, he simply called him.

_“Are you okay?”_

“What? Yeah, yeah. It’s just… Something happened. With Grace.”

_“Grace!? Is she hurt? I’m not in town. I'll give you Rachel’s number and can you…”_

“Danny, Danny, Grace is fine. She’s not hurt. It’s just…” He sat up, feeling like this was not a conversation he should have while laying down. “Nahele called me because his car gave out on him and he didn’t know who else to call, so Joannie and I went to pick him up and drop him at yours, but then he wanted to talk, and we talked and Joannie went inside with Grace and Charlie and when I went to pick her up Grace came with her and…”

 _“You saw Grace?”_ He sounded guarded, pensive, like he was thinking the best way to let Steve know that he had stepped over the line and that he could get lost.

“I’m sorry Danny, I know I shouldn’t have but she started yelling at me and apparently your neighbour called because we were fighting, well, no, not _fighting_. I just… I love her so much Danno, and I wanted to explain myself and… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have. Please don't be mad, I'll make it right, I swear, just tell me what...” He was rambling and working himself into a frenzy, but he couldn't stop: he needed Danno to know how sorry he was, that he knew he had made a mistake.

Danny made a strangled noise on the other side of the line. _“Steve, Steve!"_ He stopped talking when Danny cut him off. _"Breathe for me_ _babe. Are you breathing for me?"_ He questioned, even if he could hear Steve's ragged breathing calm down.

"Yeah, Danno." He replied, feeling his heartbeat slow down again.

_"Good, now listen to me, ok babe? I’m not mad. At all."_

“You are not?” He had been so ready to get yelled at again by a second Williams, he had been ready to beg for forgiveness on his knees if that was what it took to not be thrown away.

 _“Of course not, Steve. They are grown up kids and if Grace hadn’t wanted to see you, she wouldn’t have come out. Excuse me for a second.”_ He muffled the phone, but he could still hear him bark orders at someone, probably a uniform. He always liked it when Danny took charge of cases, he was already confident on a normal day, but when he acted like that it made him shine and it showed to those HPD Detectives and Tanaka why he was his partner and the second-in-command of the task force. _“Sorry. Anyway, look, I’m sorry if Grace was too harsh. She’s… struggled a lot with this situation but she wouldn’t talk to anyone about it. Rachel tried to convince her to go see a therapist, but she refused and I know how she can be when she’s angry. Are you ok?”_

“Danny, no. I understand, I do. She loves you the most and I promised her over and over to always have your back. And I didn’t. I left when you needed me the most. Of course I understand. I just wish I had done things so differently. Hell, I’ve wanted to yell at Rachel so many times for hurting you, Danno.” More like destroying her life, but they had made up now, no need to reopen old wounds because he was feeling jealous.

Danny made a soft noise this time and Steve could almost see him smiling. _“You are now, babe.”_

“Yeah.” Yeah, he was. And it was paying off, all the effort he was putting in was really working. Their conversations had almost gone back to normal, Danno let him touch him almost as much as they used to. Chin gave him the long suffering but amused side glances again. Kono had gone back to being teasing and prodding. Nahele wanted to start doing stuff with him again “I, listen, I told her about Coronado.”

_“You did?”_

“Yeah. She was telling me I couldn’t promise Charlie I would stay if I was going to be redeployed so I had to tell her. I’m not lying to any of you again. Ever.” _Look what it got me the last time I did_ , he thought.

_“Neither am I, Steve.”_

“Right. On that note… Nahele asked if we could go out for lunch some days and fix a car he found. Would you and Rachel be okay with that?”

_“Steve, you don’t have to ask permission to take Hele out for lunch if he wants.”_

“He’s your kid, Danno.” He stated, as if that explained everything. 

_“So?”_

“I would ask for Grace or Charlie, so I’ll ask about Nahele, too.” He said and that was final. He was going to do everything the right way, whether the kids were or were not grown-ups.

_“Ok. Hey babe, listen. I gotta go. Why don’t you come down to the station tomorrow? Joannie is with my kids, right? We can go out for lunch or beers or coffee. Just you and me.”_

“I thought you weren’t here?” He questioned, confused.

 _“Kono, Matt and the kids are staying here, I’m heading back tonight to work with Chin from HQ and if something big happens again I’ll come here again.”_ He explained. _“That is if they don’t destroy my evidence on the way. Let me call you back, ok?”_

“Sure. Don’t murder anyone.”

_“I’ll try.”_

“See you tomorrow, Danno.”

_“See you tomorrow, babe. Good night.”_

“Good night. Love you.” Danny hummed content in reply, and he still wasn’t saying it but it was much better than him not reacting when he said it, because at the very least now he knew Danny really took into account _and that he liked it._ And that was probably the more important part.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still re-writing everything that I accidentally deleted, but I managed to re-write the whole chapter that I had planned for yesterday! I hope you guys liked it!


	23. Chapter 23

Steve chuckled as he ended the call and then a huge grin took over his face: Danny had invited him out. It was the first time he had. He had always done the inviting until now. He just hoped that whoever they were chasing didn’t make a bigger mess tomorrow or else he might have to chase him for interrupting his time with Danno.

And for lunch, too. He had only asked that one time at the beach, but it had been clear that Danny wasn’t there yet, so he waited, until Danny was comfortable enough and he had made sure to make it very clear that he was not going anywhere.

“Someone’s happy.” Mary said, from his door. “Was that Danny?”

“Yeah.” He smiled at her and she sat down next to him. “I uh, I saw Grace.”

“Yeah? How’d that go?” She asked softly, taking his much bigger hand in hers.

“She’s angry, which I understand. But she let me explain. I told her about Coronado.” He had told Mary the same night he told Danny. She had been wary at first, just like Danny, but when she saw how much he really wanted to do it she had put down the same conditions Danny had: call three times a week and text whenever he could. And to call if he ever needed to get something off his chest. “And…and about Danno.” He looked away from his baby sister, feeling a blush creep in.

Mary laughed when she looked up: she could not remember the last time she had seen her brother blush that much. Maybe when he was in High School and he liked Leilani. It had been so much fun to tease him about it and if she could get him to blush more again that would be amazing. It took so many years off him, too.

“And what did she say?”

“Nothing, but I’m pretty sure she thought we are idiots.”

“That, dear brother, is because you are.” She knocked on the side of his head. “For a SEAL Commander and a Detective Lieutenant you two are fucking  _ dense _ . No, not dense, even worse, idiots, both of you, thinking that being together would make things worse instead of better.”

“Hey, be nice.” He said, poking her on her side.

She arched an eyebrow. “That’s me being nice. What had you grinning anyway?”

“Oh, hum. Danno invited me out. Tomorrow, for coffee or beers.” She hummed, obviously expecting more of an explanation, because they had been doing for a while. “It’s the first time he’s invited me out. Just the two of us, I mean.”

Mary's eyes widened a fraction at those words before she launched herself towards him, knocking the air out of him as her arms wrapped around him. “I’m really happy for you, Steve.” She whispered, hugging him harder: she had seen the change in him, first hand. She had seen trying his hardest to make time for everyone, but especially for her and Danny. 

She had seen him drawing and drawing again, getting his fingers pricked over and over again, making more and more bread until he decided the bread was good enough, trying recipes he knew they would like.

Had heard him cry, back when he first started, when he believed Danny would never. She had wanted to go to him, tell him everything would be alright,because she hadn't known that and if Steve was crying in his room, away from them, was because he didn't want her to know, didn't want to be given false hopes.

“Thank you, Mare.” He replied, his voice suddenly tight with emotion. “For everything.”

“Everyone deserves a second chance.” She said, kissing his cheek.

“Didn’t you already give me one of those ten years ago?” 

“You also gave me one and I screwed up therefore they cancel each other out. Basic, maths Steven, keep up.”

“Right, sorry.” He grinned and kissed her head. “Wanna go out for dinner? My treat.”

“Yeah, we haven’t gone out in forever. Do you wanna go to the poke place?” She said, standing up and staring at him, expectant.

“Sounds great.” He wrapped. "Love you."

"Love you, too." She replied, smilijg at him.

* * *

“Monkey, hey.” Danny exclaimed when he saw her in his bed, watching TV and with Eddie at her feet. He wasn’t really surprised, not after Steve’s call.

She smiled at him, drawing her knees up. “Can I stay?” She questioned, much like she would do ten years ago when she had a bad dream or he had been hurt.

“Of course Monkey. I’ll go take a shower first, ok? Then we can talk if you want to, ok?” He kissed her head when she offered him a soft smile.

“Kay Danno.”

When he came out of the shower Grace was on the bed, scrolling through her phone, and a sandwich was sitting on his nightstand. He smiled at her as he ate it, getting under the covers as soon as he was done.

“Come here.” He muttered, raising an arm and instantly she latched onto his hip, wrapping her arms around him burying her face on his chest, Eddie jumping onto the embrace and curling on Danny’s other side, his head on his lap.

“You know? Did Hele tell you?” She questioned, her voice slightly muffled.

“Nahele? No. Steve called me.” He told her, running a hand through her hair, his other hand busy petting his dog. “He uh, wanted to apologise for doing it without talking with me first. He was apologising before I could even say anything.” And working himself into an anxiety attack, but she didn’t need to know that.

“He… He did?” She looked up at him, and all Danny could see in her eyes were warring emotions.

“Yeah. He is trying so hard Grace, he really is sorry.” He told her. 

She nodded against his chest. “He said… He said he loves you. That leaving you behind was something he will always regret.”

“Not just me, Grace.” He pushed her away slightly, tipping her head backwards to make sure she was looking at him. “He didn’t do things like he should have, and you’ll never hear me defending that, but he loves you, too. You and your brothers.”

“I know. But… it still hurts Danno. He didn’t… He didn’t even call me to say he was leaving.” Danny smiled sadly at the tears that suddenly flooded her eyes.

“I know baby, I know.” He hugged her close again. “But he’s promised to never leave again, Grace. And for all the pain he might have caused us, has he ever broken a promise before?” She shook her head but still... “And if even with that you can’t trust him all the way yet, can you trust me? Can you trust me when I say that he is not going anywhere without us again?”

“I’ll always trust you, Danno.” She smiled at him. “Aren’t you worried about Coronado?”

“We’ve been talking about it ever since he told me. Three calls per week at least, if for some reason he can’t he’ll tell me, we’ll text. And if he ever needs to talk with me because he needs to, he knows I’ll be available no matter the time so long as I’m not in a meeting.” Danny pressed a kiss on her head again. “I want him back Grace, but I don’t want him waiting hand and foot for me, he deserves to have his own life, I just want to be in it. I want  _ us _ to be in it.”

“I know. I want him back too, Danno. I just don’t… agree with how he did everything.” She stared at him, taking in how his eyes shone again, the way the bag under his eyes and the lines around them had gone down, how he smiled a lot more. “I’m just happy you are happy again.” She said. “Because you are, right?”

Danny smiled. “Yeah, Monkey, I am. I have the three of you, your mum and I aren’t fighting all the time, Chin and Kono are back, Mary, Joannie. And Steve.” He finished. “He’s the best thing that’s happened to me after you kids.”

She hummed: she already knew that, basically everyone knew that, but it was the first time she had heard her dad admit it. Steve’s confession had been sitting in the foreground of her thoughts all afternoon: would danno be as sincere? He certainly would not tell her out of his volition, otherwise he would have done it.

“Danno? Can I ask you something?”

“Of course Monkey.”

“Before Uncle Steve left… You were always together were you two, you know…?” It didn’t take a genius to know what she meant, especially when her face flared up.

“Together-together?” He questioned, teasing her. “No. We uh, we knew there was something more than friendship, but we never really addressed it.” Holy fucking shit, he actually said it? Grace couldn’t believe it, over the years she understood just how good her dad was when it came to re-directioning questions he didn’t want to answer, and if she was honest, she was half expecting that to happen. “He had DADT, I was a cop… Neither of us had many chances to explore that side of ourselves, and we were happy with what we had back then. And we never were single at the same time and when we were… Well, it was probably some of the worst times in our lives.”

She nodded: they had basically said the same, that’s how in tune they still were with each other despite their problems at the moment.

“And now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update today guys!!
> 
> I'm going on vacations on Monday and it's an old house we own by the coast and we don't have Wi-Fi there, but I will be taking my computer to still work on them meanwhile so I'm ready to post as soon as I'm back!  
> I will be updating "Goodbye (I should say)" on the regular since the format is much easier to write on my phone so I can still post it.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I managed to find a spot with Free WiFi on the other side of town, so I decided to update this one instead of the Shifter!AU since this one has been the more irregularly updated this past few chapters.

“ **And now?”**

“And now… I’m not sure, Monkey. If he still wants me, I would like to have that with him, but we have other things to worry about before we truly get there.” He told her, pushing her hair out of his face. 

“But why now and not before? If you had we wouldn’t…”

“Be here? Who knows, Gracie. But we are different now, we don’t have to jump in front of bullets every day, the stress of the job has lessened so much and I wouldn’t have to run after him the whole day. We are also communicating a lot better, we know we can’t bottle everything up until one of us explodes and then do a reenactment on when he left.” She nodded against his chest. “Maybe we can be together like that, maybe we stay platonic best friends forever and I would be just as happy.” 

But he really hoped they both would have the guts to really talk about it, because god, he wanted Steve so much, he wanted to have him back, fully, the same men he had met and grown to love with everything he had, not the shell he had become in more recent years, bitten and dragged by the past of a mother who was never mother enough to love him like he deserved, a mother that even beyond the grave had caused him so much pain. He wanted to love him and cherish him, to adore him and make him believe he was more than enough, and that he was so, so loved by those around him, especially himself.

“Ok. If you are happy.” She said, nodding a little.

“I am. I really am.” He smiled at her. “How about we sleep, now? I’m exhausted and I have to work tomorrow.”

“Okay, Danno.” And just with that, she kissed his cheek, flopped over to the other side of the bed, curled on herself and fell asleep. A quality both his biological children and their mum had. He adjusted the sheets around her and rolled on his stomach, Eddie having moved to the floor when he saw that his usual sleeping spot had been claimed but someone else, but even so, he was right next to Danny.

For once sleep claimed him rather quickly.

* * *

“So, what’s got you into high spirits today?” Chin questioned when they arrived at the office. Danny had been chirpier lately, but never this happy, especially considering they had a case in their hands and he had a meeting with LAPD in three days. 

“Oh, well…” He scratched the back of his neck, suddenly feeling like a 15 years old with a crush.

“Ah, say no more. Steve got you something yesterday?” Danny should probably be worried he was that easy to read, but then again, it was Chin.

“Something like that… Grace and him talked.” He confessed, nodding at Chin’s shocked expression. “Nahele’s car broke down and he called Steve to pick him and apparently he was talking with Charlie and giving him a gift when Grace came out and started yelling at him right there in the front yard until Nahele told them to either get inside or stop it.”

“I take it went well, then?”

“Yeah.” He couldn’t keep the smile off his face, but how was he supposed to ask when two of his most beloved people were on the right tracks to making up? To forgive and being forgiven? “She let him explain and while she doesn’t agree with it, she understands why he left. Mostly she was hurt that he just left without even texting her goodbye and that he left when I was still hurt. She loves him like another dad and the fact that he could leave like that, it broke her heart. But Steve came clean, about everything, even Coronado, so I guess now it’s just a matter of time.”

“I’m happy. For both of them.” He gathered him into a hug. “And you. You look nothing like when we met again.” Danny chuckled. “I mean it, Danny. You were so closed off, I was worried you’d go back to how when we first met. I really didn’t think Steve would try that hard, with any of us. He sent Sara a handmade bunny key-chain the other day.” He told him.

“Neither do you, Chin Ho.” He patted him on the back, but it was true, during the first few weeks of setting up the task force he had looked so down, his break up with Abby and how they had handled that leaving him a bit more broken that he was, but having them near, having his ohana, old and new around him had helped him heal. And Sara was really coming out of her shell, too. Having kids around her age to play even when they were having team lunches/dinners helping her along. “Alright, let’s see what we’ve got.”

* * *

It was exactly 12pm when Steve knocked on the door, paper bag in hand. He had been going there so often that Danny had a permanent Visitor’s ID issued for him so he didn’t have to bother the guards every single time in walking him to the door.

“Hey.” He smiled at Danny, who was going through some evidence.

“Hey, babe. You are early.” He replied, but even then he straightened up, smiling at the taller man.

“I figured you were busy and expecting calls, so I thought maybe we could have lunch here instead of going out.” He explained, scratching his cheek. “I made sandwiches. Like you taught me.”

God, Danny could kiss him right there: who gave him permission to look so adorable? This was a 43 years old man who could kill someone with his pinky, none of these things were adorable. Instead of plastering a kiss to his lips, he grabbed his hand and led him to his office: Chin was due any minute now and as selfish as it was, he wanted to have Steve for himself.

They sat down on the armchairs, facing each other. Steve was busying himself with pulling out the food and the beverages when Danny grabbed his hand, stilling him.

“Steve, we need to talk.”

Steve frowned, confused: Danny had seemed fine the day before. Seemed fine 5 minutes ago. How could he have screwed something by pulling items out of a bag?

“Y-yeah? About?”

“You.” He looked up, right into fearful hazel eyes and god did he hate that look on him, fear had no right to be in Steve. And he knew it was his job to solve that, perfectly aware why that fear was there. “It’s nothing bad, babe. I just need you to understand something: you don’t have to apologise for things that aren’t your fault. Meeting Gracie was something _she_ decided on, not you. You don’t have to apologise for that. Ever. If anything, I should be the one to apologise for her coming at you like that.”

“But…”

Danny squeezed his hand, effectively interrupting him. “You hurt me, hurt us, but if there is one thing I’m certain of is that you would never endanger my kids, you would never hurt them knowingly.”

“Of course I would not! I _love_ them Danny, I love _you_!” He exclaimed.

“Exactly my point.” He brought his hand to his lips, kissing the knuckles again, because if the reaction he got last time was anything to go by, Steve had liked that. A lot. He couldn’t help but smile when Steve’s cheeks flared up and a nervous smile escaped him. That man was truly going to be the death of him. “I know we still are not where we were before, but the last thing I want is for you to apologise for every little thing that happens. I’m here babe, I’m not going anywhere.”

Steve gulped before he stood up and tugged Danny to his feet, immediately hugging him, tucking his head against the blond’s neck. “Really?” He whispered.

Danny sighed, wrapping his arms around him. “Of course, you big lug.” He rubbed his hands all over his back. “Want you back, Steve. Missed you so much.” Steve trembled at those words, his hands clutching his shirt. “What? You thought that because I was so angry at you that meant I didn’t miss you? Don’t be foolish, babe. I told you I was not stringing you along just to leave you to dry afterwards. I missed you every day. Made two cups of coffee for two weeks, every day, before realising you weren’t there with me.” He swallowed, his throat feeling dry. “Even when I was angry at you, I still wanted you back. You were still in my heart. You _always_ will be in my heart.”

Steve didn’t say anything, didn’t move away, he just held him and let himself be held, he needed this, he _wanted_ this. He wanted to be able to hold Danny like this again at any given point in time, he wanted to have more hand kisses, he wanted to be Danny’s and for Danny to be his. He loved him with every single cell in his body and he wanted to be able to show him exactly how much. 

“One of the hardest things I had to do was not text you everyday. I wanted to show you everything I liked, everything that reminded me of you, of the kids. Eddie, even.” He confessed. “I love you, you know?” He really didn’t want Danny to say it back, not now that his meaning changed. And he knew Danny was aware it had changed, from the very first time he said it since he came back. So no, he did not want Danny to say it if he wasn’t feeling it, but he just _needed_ him to know, to make sure he knew that this time he was not going anywhere other than Coronado, and that even then, he would still make sure to talk to him every single day. “

“Yeah, I know.” Danny replied, squeezing him harder for a few seconds. “Let’s have lunch, huh?”

“Yeah.” He breathed out, pulling away from the shorter man. “I’m sorry.”

Danny shrugged. “I’m not. Do you know for how long I’ve wanted you to show me this side of yours? Too long Steven, so don’t ever apologise for it.” He replied, glaring at him, even if it was missing any kind of heat. And Steve was brought back to an apartment filled with pot and porcelain cat figurines. 6 years ago.

“Okay, Danno.” He smiled at him, sitting down in his chair and pushing Danny’s sandwich towards him. “I hope you like it.”

“Babe, if it’s better than the last one I’ll probably have an orgasm.” Danny replied, tearing the paper away.

And fuck, Danny had no business saying stuff like that. Either that or he was trying to kill Steve through embarrassment or blue balls, because he could feel his face burn and his cock pulse in pants, but the image of a Danny, sprawled on his bed, dishevelled, breathing quick and shallow, lips red from kissing and covered in cum kept flashing in his mind on loop.

When he finally looked up, he regretted it almost immediately because Danny _did_ look like he was having an orgasm, his head thrown back slightly, his blue eyes hidden and it was obvious he was trying to not make a sound.

God, that was not good for his health.

“Babe, why the fuck did you never cook for me back in Oahu?” Danny asked when he swallowed the first bite, licking his lips to clean off any sauce left behind. “I should arrest you for that.”

“Yeah?” He grinned.

“Yeah. No, but seriously, why?”

Steve shrugged. “Didn’t really know how to cook, the Navy did all the cooking so… I only started learning when I came back. Mary says I’m trying to fatten her.”

“Well, now I’m jealous of your sister.” The blond grumbled before he took another bite. “Maybe we should have gone for a sandwich place, babe.”

He chuckled. “We can try it again, if you want?”

“Hell no.” Danny grinned before he reached to take a beer. “But next time we are going to the beach you are in charge of sandwiches.”

“Aw, but I like _your_ food Danno.” He whined and it wasn’t just for show, he really did love Danny’s food, it didn’t matter what he was making, it was always delicious. Sure, his Italian was the best, but everything else made his mouth water all the same. Like the meatloaf. He needed to have some before he left for Coronado in two months and a half. “How about I make yours and you make mine?” He suggested, grinning.

Danny’s lips twitched into a smile because that meant plans, and plans meant he got to keep Steve physically close for a while. And at the beach, where he got to look at him all he wanted, half naked, water dripping off him. “That sounds like a good idea, babe.” He said, before taking another bite of his lunch, a tiny moan escaped his lips. 

But not tiny enough for Steve to not pick it up on. He was going to die, he was sure of that, he was going to implode. “Seriously babe, what’s in this thing? Did you put meth on it, babe? Do you have to arrest you?”

“You want to arrest me that badly, Danno?” Steve replied, smirking. “Gonna throw me down in rendition where you can talk my ears off and no one will be able to come save me?”

“Oh? Big bad Navy SEAL needs saving now? And here I thought all those muscles were for something instead of just for show.” Danny replied, grinning.

And ok, yeah, Steve could admit he kind of walked into that one, but he still could play, right? And he felt a tug of excitement at how their flirting had clearly evolved from somewhat concealed to full on out there: if they used to be the end of married jokes, he did not want to see what would happen if they ever acted like that with the others in front of them. And maybe he was playing with fire, they had just said they weren’t where they used to be, but maybe that was good, they hadn’t fallen in their usual banter, they couldn’t shield behind it right now.

“Hm, I guess you are right, nobody can come save me if my Prince charming is the one that kidnapped me, right? Or if I went willingly.”

He grinned when Danny flushed, averting his eyes for a few seconds, and Steve could hear the cogs turning in his head, trying to see if Steve was for real or not, he stole a couple glances before he looked up again, his blue eyes glinting with mischief, clearly having decided to keep going, and God, that was such a good look on him.

“Your prince, huh? And here I thought you were mine. Tall, dark and handsome.”

And suddenly he understood what Danny had felt merely two minutes ago, feeling a blush creep up from his neck because Danny was flirting back. And openly so, making sure there were no more misunderstandings between them. And just as he had told Grace he would have accepted and treasure any kind of love from Danny, of course he would have, he was the most important person in the world for him, and if Danny had decided to stay platonic, it would have sucked and he would have longed for more but he would have respected that line, would never have crossed it, because at the end of the day, being able to call Danny his best friend was something he already he was incredibly proud off. Something he would cherish forever in his heart.

“Yeah?” He croaked, looking up at him, startling at all the love those baby blues held. For him. Just for him. And that was why he didn’t need Danno to say it, he already knew, Danny told him everyday, starting by how he even let him anywhere near his children. How he gave him a second chance. “Danno?” He questioned, confused, when Danny stood up, half eaten sandwich forgotten on the table.

“Close your eyes for me.” He said as he rounded the table, coming to a stop in front of him.

“What?”

“Eyes. Closed.” He was moving his hand in circular movement, clearly wanting Steve to get on with the program and do as told. His SuperSEAL was supposed to be good at following orders, right? “ You trust me, right?”

“Always, Danno. The most.” He replied, gingerly doing as told and waiting for whatever it was that Danno wanted to do, hoping it was a kiss, like in those rom-com films Grace and Mary watched. He supposed that if they had been outside, it would suddenly start raining because, for some reason, people thought kissing under cold water was romantic. He could already hear Danny grumbling about his hair being ruined and stomping under the first thing that would offer some semblance of cover.

He felt Danny shift over him, one hand coming to rest on his shoulder, the other on the armrest.

It wasn’t a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And as you can see they have actually made some good progress. I felt like it was starting to get to a point where they would have taken forever to get anywhere so I decided to speed things up some. But Danno is still not saying "I love you back", poor Steve, but hey, at least he understands now.


	25. Chapter 25

**It was not a kiss.**

Not really. 

It was barely a brush, but Steve still gasped, still reached to hold Danny’s face. He didn’t pull him closer, he knew this was nothing more than a beautiful promise of what he could have, but that he hadn’t fully earned yet. Danno still had doubts and he understood, but he knew that this was something he could have if he wanted it, if he worked for it.

It was something Danny was willing to try, to give to him.

And wasn’t that what he had always wanted? For Danny and him to be that way? To be able to call himself Danno’s partner in that sense of the word? To hold his hand in public, kiss him good morning and good night, hello and goodbye. To hug him and kiss him when he was stressed or had a nightmare, to make sure he was safe in his arms, to care for him when his knee acted up or when a case proved to be too much.

He gulped when Danny pulled away, opening his eyes and seeing Danny’s bright blue ice ones. God, they were so beautiful up close, he could see darker speckles in them, they were breathtaking. Danny was breathtaking. “Yeah?” He only managed to say.

“Yeah, babe.” Danny replied, letting Steve caress his cheek. “If you want.”

“I want to, Danno, so much.” He said and Danny smiled, open and easy, blinding, even. He was righting himself back up when Steve tugged him down, hugging him tightly against his chest.

“Steve?” Danny tried to pull away to look at him, but Steve didn’t let him, he actually pulled him lower, until he was semi-straddling Steve, one leg planted on the ground, between Steve’s ridiculously long legs and the other one, bent, his knee tucked between Steve thigh and the seat.

“I need to tell you something.” He didn’t say anything else, but Danny still nodded, having no idea what Steve might want to say that required a hug that fierce. 

Not that he was complaining, no sir. 

And he knew why Steve was tucking him against his shoulder, he didn’t want to be seen whenever he said what he wanted to say. Therapy was clearly doing amazing things for him, but some stuff was still hard, and Danny knew that first hand. “When I was talking with Grace, she mentioned something.” Danny hummed, showing that he was paying attention. “She said… And don’t get mad at her, ok? She was…  _ is  _ just worried about her Danno. But she said that you thought I left because of you. That you were the reason I ran away.” He felt the blond tense in his arms.

Danny bit his lip because he couldn’t get mad at his daughter because he knew Steve was right, she was worried for him and was angry when she talked with Steve, more likely not measuring her words or thinking twice what she was saying, but to tell Steve that… He hadn’t told her in confidence, that was true, but to have those doubts resurface just like that…

“I didn’t.” Steve continued before Danny could say anything. “God, Danno, you were the one thing that I would have stayed for. That I wanted to stay for. But I couldn’t, not how I was back then. I truly, honest to God, thought you’d be better off without me. I didn’t…” He faltered and Danny squeezed him. “I didn’t even think anyone would miss me. You all had other people you could go back to.”

This time Danny did push away, freeing himself and standing straight again, glaring at him. “Are you for real now? What the hell were we then, Steve?” He felt frustrated because it didn’t matter how many times they breached that topic, they both always ended at the same place.

“That’s not what I meant, Danno. I meant that if I went away you still had people who would distract you from me being gone, someone who could take care of you in a way I wasn’t fit back then. I know you all loved me, and I love you, I’ve always loved  _ you _ , one way or another, but at that time… I really thought I was protecting you. And I was running away from the whole situation, but it was never because of you, Danno. I love you the most, I would never run away from you.” He stood up too, hugging him again, his hold much looser this time around. “I just need you to know it wasn’t you. It will never be you. I was running from everything that had happened, from the pain and the anger, but never from you or your love Danno.”

Danny sagged and before Steve had time to open his mouth, he wrapped his arms around his SuperSEAL, nodding against his chest. “Ok, I believe you.”

“You-You do?” Steve couldn’t believe it had been that easy, it seemed almost impossible given Danny’s tendency to always believe the bad words, to think the dark thoughts were the real ones and everything else was just false hope.

“I believe  _ you _ .” Ah, that made a lot more sense. And he very pointedly ignored the way his heart jumped at those words: because after months and months of doing everything he could to gain his ex-partner’s trust back after shattering it into a million pieces, he finally had it.

And he was going to make sure he didn’t abuse it again. Never again.

“Thank you.” He kissed his cheek before releasing him, but he still left his hands on his shoulders, squeezing gently and frowning. “Jesus Danny, when is the last time you got your back checked?”

“Hm? A couple months back, for the physical, why?” He rolled his shoulders, but they didn’t hurt. And Steve’s warm hands on them felt so, so good and his mind went to an image of Steve sitting on his lap, fucking himself on his cock and using his shoulders to keep himself upright.

“You are tense as fuck Danno.” He dug his fingers on them, feeling the multiple knots and he massaged them lightly, Danny’s eyes fluttering close at the feeling. “You need to get it checked out, no wonder you keep rolling them all the time.”

“Hm… Feels good.” He mumbled. “You could keep doing that.” He said, opening one eye, pulling a chuckle from Steve.

“I would, I so very much would, but I am not certified for this and I am not messing with your body.” Not that way, at least.

“That’s too bad… And here I thought my SuperSEAL could do anything.” He replied, looking up at him, grinning.

Steve swallowed at those words. “ _ Your _ SuperSEAL?”

Danny cocked the head to the side, arching an eyebrow. “Unless there’s someone else? Because I’m not sharing. Not you.” He replied, fiercely, and he knew that came off a bit wrong, but he couldn’t. Not after they had almost lost each other.

Steve chuckled before shaking his head. “All yours, Danno. No one else’s.” He rubbed his shoulders again, Danny’s closing his eyes again. “Mary goes to a really good massage parlour, do you want me to ask her for the number?”

“Please.”

“And we can go out for dinner if you want afterwards?” He suggested.

Danny looked up at him from under his lashes and smiled. “Come get a massage with me and you have yourself a date, babe.”

Steve's face brightened up at those words hugging Danny even tighter and kissing his head a few times and Danny really could get used to this. This Steve was not the same Steve that had left, wasn’t even the same Steve he had known for the decade. That Steve, while affectionate did not smile like that, did not become soft and gooey when Danny pulled away to smile at him, hands around his waist before rubbing his face on his chest, did not hold Danny like he was the best thing in the world and could never let go of him. And most importantly, he never looked at him with that much love in his eyes.

He wouldn’t have been able to resist it if he had.

“I’d love that, Danno.” He let him go, looking down to his pretty eyes. “I promise it’ll be the best date you’ve ever had.”

“I dunno about that babe, this one is going pretty good.” He winked at him and sat down on the sofa instead, patting the spot next to him. Spot that Steve took almost immediately, throwing an arm along the back and bringing Danny closer to him. Because he was allowed to do that now, he was allowed to wine and dine his Danno.

“I’ll let you get back to work.” He said, smiling. “Text me what days work best for you and I’ll set up the appointment.”

“Thanks, babe.” He returned the smile and went on his tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. “And thank you for today, everything was great.”

“My pleasure, Danno.” He returned the kiss, a thrill running down his spine at the knowledge that he was welcomed to do so, now. Expected, even. “Say hi to the kids for me?”

“Of course.” He stroked his cheek. “Say hi to Mary and Joannie for me.”

“Always. Oh yeah, in two weeks, on Sunday, Mary is throwing a party to celebrate the date she adopted Joannie, everyone is invited, if-if they want to come?”

“Everyone? Who's everyone?” He questioned, thoroughly confused. “My kids?”

“Well, yeah, of course, and Rachel, too. But I meant your team. I know… I know they don’t like me, rightly so. I just want to know them better.” He confessed, his voice dropping.

Danny smiled, hugging him: just the fact that he thought of inviting the team made him want to kiss his silly on the lips. But not yet. It was too soon. And he wasn’t planning on keeping Steve waiting for long, but he needed things to be solid between them first. “Half-baked cookie.” He teased, pulling a laugh from the taller man. “They’ll love you, don’t worry about it babe, everyone does. And they especially if you keep feeding them sweets.”

“They like them?”

“Love them.” He assured. "I’ll send you my schedule for the next couple of weeks. This case shouldn’t take that long.”

“I know. You are doing a great job, Danno.” He said, hugging him again. “If you have to leave the city... will you let me know?”

Danny pulled away, looking at him. “Yeah, of course, babe, but why?”

Steve shrugged, an embarrassed smile on his lips. “So I don’t worry. I uh, I understand how you felt whenever I left without saying anything.” He stroked Danny behind the ear. “I’m sorry I put you through that so many times, Danno.” But he was even more sorry of how he had dismissed his worry every single time.

The blond shrugged: sure, it had been awful at the time, but there was nothing they could about it now, so why worry about it? Except get better at it. “What’s done is done, Steve.” He said. “We just need to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes twice.

“Never again.” Steve vowed. “Love you, Danno.” He kissed his forehead and with a smile, he left, stopping to say hi to Chin, who finally, greeted him with a hug.

“So…” Chin drawled out, a mischievous glint in his eyes and of fucking course Chin would know.

“How could you  _ possibly  _ know?” He exclaimed.

“You two idiots forgot to bring the blinds down.” He replied, smirking, as he pointed to the blond’s office and yeah, they had completely forgotten since they were alone when Steve got there. “So? Since when?”

Steve shrugged. “Hour and a half ago. But… it’s not like that. Not yet.” He said. “Danny said it himself, we still are not where we were before, so until then, I’ll still try my hardest to mend my mistakes. Not just with him.” He clarified.

“And I guess knowing that this is an option now makes it all the sweeter?”

“I still would have kept doing everything I could regardless of it. If Danny didn’t want to date me, I would still have called him every day. I still would bake for him. Make him things. Us dating was never a factor for me working for forgiveness.” He explained. “On another note, Mary is throwing a party next Sunday over to celebrate the date of Joannie’s adoption, and she'd love it if you and Sara could make it.”

“Of course Steve, we’d love it.”

“Awesome. I already told Danny, but the whole team is invited.” He grinned at him and Chin realised how much younger he looked since he had first seen him months ago: just like Danny, it was obvious he was doing much better now that he had his counterpart back. 

A knock on the door made both of them look, Danny arching an eyebrow. “You still here babe?”

Steve smiled at him. “Just came to say hello. I’ll leave you two alone.” He said, smiling at both of them. He was crossing the door when Danny grabbed him by the elbow. “Danny?”

The blond didn’t reply, he simply brushed another kiss on his lips. And Steve was sure he was going to explode with happiness: Danny didn’t want them to hide, at least not where their ohana was concerned. He was good with Chin knowing. He  _ wanted _ Chin to know.

“Call me later, ok?”

“Sure, Danno.” He smiled at him, big and happy. “Later Chin!” He called, not turning back, knowing.

“Later Steve!” He yelled back, smirking at Danny.

“What?” The blond said, arching an eyebrow.

Chin raised his hands. “Oh nothing, nothing. Is that something we do now? Should I go and also kiss him or…?”

“Sure, if you wanna lose your job.” Danny replied and although he was laughing, Chin couldn’t help but shiver at the underlying possessiveness in his voice, knowing that if someone ever touched a hair form Steve’s head the fury unleashed upon them would be ten times worse than when Steve almost died.

Danny Williams was one dangerous man when he needed to be. And he was glad that fury had never been directed at him.

“Nah, I’m good. Not my type.” He stood up, wrapping an arm around him. “I’m  _ really _ happy for you. And for us, because I’m not sure I could put up with you two being idiots a second time around. Did you know we had to start a second poll because even Max, who had said 7 years, 3 months and 22 days still didn’t get it right? When have you ever heard of a bet running for over 7 years and no one winning?”

“Aw, but we like to make things exciting for you, guys.” He replied, smirking at him. “Okay, what do we have?”

And just like that, they were back to work.


	26. Chapter 26

**And just like that, they were back to work.**

Two days later from meeting with Danny, Nahele called him to tell him he finally had the car set up in a friend’s storage unit and they could work on it whenever he wanted. Three days later Grace called and asked if they could have lunch together near her campus.

And he was thrilled that the kids were reaching out, too. He had been in contact with them, asking about their days, talking about his own days, answering any doubts they had about going to Coronado.

Nahele had taken it surprisingly well, when he told him. He had simply nodded and, much like his dad and his sister, said that if he was to disappear again, to not bother coming back, because he would not have him. Aside from that, he said he understood that the Navy had been his family for way longer than he had known any of them, and that there was a part of him that would always belong to the Navy.

And it had been a hit to the face to see how much Nahele had matured, because he had missed it. It was another thing he hadn't thought about: he had missed out so much of their growth, especially with Nahele and Grace, who were at the age of maturing a lot faster than Charlie or Joannie. But he was here now, he was going to see them grow up now. He got to be a part of their lives, too.

* * *

He managed to book them for the massage on Wednesday afternoon and the way Danny looked once they got out, all relaxed and slightly sleepy put a smile on his face for the remainder of the day, especially because relaxed Danny was even more pliant to touch than usual, melting under Steve’s arm when he wrapped it around his shoulders. They had dinner at a Mexican place they both liked, Danny pulling his dish away when Steve tried to steal one of his nachos, but relented to give some up in exchange for a beef taco. It had been a great day, fun, he couldn't remember the last time he himself had been that relaxed, not just physically, but emotionally and mentally. 

The fact that he got to see Danny mostly naked didn’t hurt, either. And whatever regime he was following had definitely worked for him. Not that Danno hadn’t been fit before, but he could imagine how much weight he lost after being shot and his leaving probably didn’t help at all (he  _ knew _ it didn’t) so the fact that he looked even better than he did before just spoke volumes on how much effort he had been putting into it. Probably still was. All he had been able to think when Danny removed his shirt had been that he wanted to sink his teeth on those shoulders, suck and kiss and bite. 

And then the pants followed and his brain had split in between marking his thighs, feel them under him when he rode Danny or having them wrapped around him as he fucked Danno in oblivion. The one thing he was sure about was that he was going to kiss his bum knee until he could take all the hurt away.

That had been the only problem he had had: seeing Danny almost naked for two hours and not being able to touch him. Not like that, at least. Not yet.

But it had clearly worked wonders

Danny was always so stressed and worried, but there had been no sign of that for the whole time they were together. So when he drove him home, before he had time to get out of the car, he leaned over the console and pressed a soft kiss on his lips, causing Danny to smile and kiss him back.

“Good night, babe.” Danny mumbled.

“Good night, Danno. I love you.” Danny simply kissed him again before he got out of the car.

“I really had a great time, Steve. Next date is on me, ok?”

“Yeah, ok!” He smiled at him, but how couldn’t he? Danny just said they’d have a second date!

* * *

Nahele knocked on Grace’s threshold, her door open, as usual when they were the only ones home. “Hey, what’s up?” She questioned, sitting up.

“There’s something I’d like to talk to you about.” He replied, sitting next to her.

He had thought long and hard about what Steve had said all those weeks ago, almost a month now. Would Grace really be okay if he called Danny “dad”? With her there? Would Danny be okay with it? He always said he was his son but maybe… What if he didn’t really think that? What if he didn’t want him to call him dad? What if Grace didn’t want that either? Did she really think of him like her brother or did she only say that because Rachel and Danny told her too.

“Hele, what’s wrong?” She questioned, staring at him with worried eyes. “Is someone at work giving you trouble? I can go and kick their asses if you want.”

“W-what? No!” He replied, shaking his head at her, fully aware that she would do it. “Look, I need to ask you something, and I’ll understand if you say no. It’s just…” He took a deep breath, it was now or never. He had been mulling it over for almost two weeks now. He had to ask. “would you be okay if I called Danny dad? And Rachel mom?” He said it all in one breath, not looking at her, afraid of what he'd find there.

Grace blinked at him: what kind of question was that? Had they ever given him the impression that he couldn’t?

“Huh? I thought you already did?” She said, tilting her head to the side, grabbing his arm when he wouldn’t look at her. “Hele. I’ve heard you call Danno your dad on the phone.”

“You have?” He startled, looking at her with huge eyes, but he didn’t find anything on her face, no disgust or anger just… Gracie. Loving, caring, fierce Gracie. 

“Yeah, when you were talking with your coworkers. What’s the big deal?”

“I thought maybe… you wouldn’t…” He shrugged, not knowing how to put it in actual words for her. “I mean, I’m not really family…”

Grace stood up at those words, now fully glaring at him, Williams and Edwards combined into one and holy shit, that was a terrifying sight. “What the fuck, Hele? Of course you are family! You really thought I would get angry because you wanted to call them dad and mom? They talk about you as their son and you thought it was only for show? Hele, everyone in my class knows you are my brother!”

“They do?”

“Of course they do, you schmuck!” Oh, her Jersey was coming out. It was always funny to see that. She stomped out of her room. “Mum, can you come here for a second? Hele needs to tell you something!” 

“What? Grace!” He whisper-yelled at her, waving his hands around.

“How long have you been thinking about this, huh? I know you, if you don’t do it now you’ll take forever to do it!”

Nahele grumbled, but he knew she was right. “Grace, do you have to yell? I’m right down the hall.” Rachel said, entering the room, arching an eyebrow at her daughter, who simply shrugged, unrepentant. She sighed before turning to her eldest. “What is it, dear? Everything alright?” 

“Yeah it’s just…” Before he knew what he was doing he hugged her close. “I love you, mum.” He mumbled, burying his head on her shoulder despite the height difference. 

He heard Rachel sigh softly before she hugged him close, Grace joining the hug almost immediately, her cheek resting against Nahele’s shoulder.

“Took you long enough, Nahele. We were getting worried.” Rachel said, kissing his forehead. “How about we go get your father and go out for dinner? Have you told him yet?”

“No.”

“Well, you can do it tonight, then? If you want?”

“Y-yeah, I’d like that.” He said, still not letting go.

They were so engrossed in their hug that they didn’t hear light footsteps coming their way. “Hey! Not fair! I want hugs too!” Charlie exclaimed, causing all of them to laugh and split, Rachel lifting her son up so he could hug everyone too. “Why are we hugging?”

Grace snickered at that, nudging her big brother to answer. “I uh…”

“Because Nahele is giving your father and me a very big present.” Rachel told her youngest when she saw Nahele struggle, an amused smile on her lips. “So, we were thinking we could go pick up your father and go out for dinner, what do you think, do you like that plan, Charlie?”

“Yeah! Can we have pizza?” He asked as his mother left him on the floor again. He was getting big.

“Hm… I think we should let Nahele decide today, don’t you think?” She kissed his cheek. “You two get dressed in proper clothes, I won’t have you looking like your father and I are not taking care of you. Charlie, let’s get you appropriately dressed, too. Come along.”

* * *

“He called me  _ dad _ , Steve!” He exclaimed when they met a few days later, his hands gesturing wildly. And the fact that Steve was able to help make him smile like that, even if it was indirectly, was the best feeling in the world, because there was nothing more than to make Danny happy. "And he called Rach mum, too."

"He uh... He talked to me about it. Sort of." He confessed

Danny cocked his head to look at him, curiosity filling his baby blues. "What do you mean?"

"The day I picked him up when his car broke down. When I said I was going to ask you about us going out for lunch some days "He specifically said 'without dad', has been calling you Danno ever since I found you but when I suggested that? He said he wasn't your son. Didn't say you weren't his dad, he said he wasn't your son. Ir broke my heart Danno." He took Danny's hands in his, rubbing his knuckles. "I wished for so many years that Joe was my dad." He confessed. 

And truly, it didn't surprise Danny. Despite the lies and the covering for Doris, Joe loved Steve like a son and Steve loved Joe like a dad, but both of them were emotionally useless and never talked about it.

"I don't ever want Nahele to feel like I did, so I told him you loved him like a son. To talk to Grace if he was afraid of how she might have reacted." He explained. "I'm happy he did."

Danny didn't even try to resist the urge that pushed him to corner Steve against a tree a kiss him deeply, Steve responding in kind a second later, one arm wrapping around the blond's trim waist.


	27. Chapter 27

**Danny didn't even try to resist the urge that pushed him to corner Steve against a tree and kiss him deeply, Steve responding in kind a second later, one arm wrapping around the blond's trim waist.**

After a few more kisses, Steve pulled away, smiling at him, still holding him close.

“Let’s get to the restaurant, c’mon.” He whispered before pressing a quick kiss on plump lips.

It was late, but Kono had told him to get Danny out of HQ for the night before he drowned himself in paperwork  _ again _ , so kissed his sister and niece on the head, apologising for skipping on dinner, but Mary had just shooed him off, claiming they’d have a girls night in, so he had jumped into his car and drove to the task force’s HQ, his ID clipped on his pants and he had simply strolled into Danny’s office.

_ “C’mon, we are going out for dinner.” _ He had announced. And although Danny had looked surprised at his unannounced arrival he turned off his computer and followed him outside without a single complaint.

“I’m really happy for you, Danno.” And he was. He knew he had lost his chance at being Nahele’s dad himself, but he also knew there was no better dad in the world than Danno. “Tell me about it?” He questioned, wrapping an arm around his shoulders to steer him in the right direction. He had decided that they would walk there instead of driving because one, parking in LA was a nightmare, two, Danny always got chattier when they walked, and three, it meant more time together.

“They came by HQ to pick me up and said we were going out for dinner. It was last Saturday, so there was no school and Rachel had been with them at home. So we went to that poké place you and I went last month, the kids love it there. Reminds them of… home. Especially Nahele, I can see it.” He paused for a second, turning his head to the side to kiss him on the inside of his arm. “Thank you for that, too.”

Steve blinked, feeling a blush creep up at the intimate gesture. “Danno…” It was very close to a whine. Not that he would ever admit to it. “You are welcome.” He finally said, smiling at him, tightening his half-hug. “So?”

“Well, we got there and we sat down in that private room they have. Rachel had called ahead and made a reservation. So Nahele sat next to me and we talked about our days, they had gone to the beach with some of Grace’s classmates. We ordered and well, I asked what the occasion was and both Rachel and Grace smiled. And babe, I know that smile, it only promises trouble for me.” He grumbled, making Steve laugh, and well, that was always a win on Danny’s book. “Anyway, Nahele started fidgeting next to me so I assume something has happened, right? I thought that maybe you two had found that plate you had been looking for and wanted to see if he could spend more time with, or that he had been asked on a date or something.”

“But?”

Danny smiled at him again, his eyes crinkled. “He turned to look at me and said ‘I love you, dad’. He said he loved me, can you believe it?”

Steve stopped at those words, looking down at his partner, hands running down his arms. “Of course I can, Danno. Who wouldn’t love you?” And this wasn’t flirting, he was genuinely stumped that his partner didn’t know that. “Danno, you are the best father I’ve ever seen. Of course Hele loves you.” He gathered him into a hug, kissing the side of his head. “It’s impossible not to love you, Danny.”

Danny trembled at those words: it didn’t matter how many times Steve said he loved him, or inferred that he loved him, it always shook him, because there was nothing in the world that he wanted more than Steve’s love. “Really?”

“Really.” He tipped his head back and brushed a kiss on his lips right as they arrived at their destination.

* * *

Danny sighed when he dropped on the sofa, Kono right next to him: they just had a meeting with the Governor and Abby and boy, did it get ugly really fast: the SF team was supposed to be on probation for another month a two weeks and then they would see what happened, but they messed up big time on a case involving a diplomat and the Governor had called an urgent meeting that had Danny and Kono flying out to San Francisco that same afternoon, leaving Chin and Matt in charge until they got back.

And to top it off, Abby kept accusing Danny of lying to Chin to get him on his task force half of the meeting, not realising she was just shooting herself on the foot by implying that the only thing holding their team together had been Chin. 

And judging by her face, the Governor thought the same.

After thirty minutes of hearing Abby scream at them both, Kono had had enough.

_ “  _ I _ recommended Chin Ho. He had been planning on leaving your task force anyways, so I did what I thought was best for him, for Sarah, for us and for the citizens of LA and California and told Danny. And Chin knew he was stepping back. And he did, gladly so. Not that I have to ask him why he accepted as quickly as he did after I saw you the last time with him.” She finished, sitting down when Danny put a hand on her shoulder. _

_ “Look, you don’t have to agree with how or why Chin agreed to come with us rather than stay here. This is not why we are here, right?” He looked at the governor, who nodded. “The thing is Abby, that you fucked up. Not just with this clusterfuck you left behind for our team and us to clean up, you fucked up the second you decided to drive Chin so crazy that he decided that shifting cities was the better option. Don’t think we don’t know that Chin was the only one who pulled his own weight and then some. And your team? No younger agents who can out run your perps, no military member who can offer technical support, run downs and training to your other members, no skilled computer tech and you only had one and a half detectives.” _

_ “That was Chin…” _

_ “Do NOT try and blame that on Chin!” He roared and Kono looked up at him, startled: when was the last time he had seen him that angry? When Steve came back, she thought, and even then he looked more enraged now. Before he had been angry yes, but there had been so much pain, too. This was hot, unadulterated, burning fire in his eyes, and all because Abby made the mistake of trying to attack someone from his ohana. “I know for a fact that  _ you  _ chose the files  _ Chin _ chose from.” _

_ She looked up, startled. She had always seen Danny as the more reasonable one between him and Steve, she always found odd how well they both worked together given how different they were, but they weren’t. Not really. Danny was just as savage as his ex-partner, perhaps even more, especially when it came to words, he just kept himself in check a lot more. _

_ “How do you know that?” _

_ “Because  _ I _ told Lieutenant Williams” The Governor answred, interrupting. “When he asked how we did things in San Francisco. He decided he would go through the files himself, and later with Detective Kalakaua.” She stood up. “Both of you, sit down again.” The both did, Danny crossing his arms over his chest. “As Lieutenant Williams has said, we are not here to discuss the internal workings of each task force. As a matter of fact, did was supposed to be just a mere notification. I hereby announce that the task force based in Los Angeles, California, will be taking over all responsibilities from the San Francisco task Force as soon as a new team has been put in place.” _

_ Her three top agents were staring at her like she had just grown a third head. “Just like that? That’s how little the work my team has done in the last 4 years is worth?” _

_ “Detective Dunn.” She said, turning around to look at her. “This is not a matter of worth or seniority, this is a matter of a job well done and if you can’t honestly understand that, I see where I’ve gone wrong. Perhaps I should have terminated you as soon as Lieutenant Kelly left.” She then shifted her gaze to the other two Detectives in the room. “How long until you can put a new team together?” _

_ Danny and Kono looked at each other, nodding. _

_ “I’d say 2 weeks to go through our last round of interviews, another 2-3 to train them.” _

_ The Governor blinked, surprised. “You have already been conducting interviews?” _

_ Danny nodded. “Yes ma’am. We started going through them after our last meeting. We have called those who left a better impression last time, and we have been in contact with different Police Academies in California to scoop the best rookie candidates.” _

_ “In other words,” Kono said, grinning wolfishly at the blond woman “Danny already expected this outcome. We thought it would be later, but I guess we’ll just have to push our timetable.” _

_ “Exactly.” Danny nodded. “It was never a question of  _ if  _ but of  _ when _.” _

The Governor had dismissed Abby right after that, telling her that she expected all of their badges back in 3 weeks, and all of them were on standby until then.

“Brah, that was a brutal beating you gave Abby.” Kono said, stretching her legs as she took a swig of her beer.

“Me? And what about you, huh?” He clinked his beer with hers, laughing. “This is going to be a pain in the ass.”

“Yeah. If we don’t have a case, do you want to start tomorrow?”

“I don’t think we have a choice, rookie.” He sighed. “I’ll leave the rookies to you, and I guess I’ll take Clay with me to go interview the SEALs.”

Kono nodded, biting her lip, thinking. They both knew there was someone else better for that job, someone with far more experience in both as a Navy SEAL and as a task force member, but she wasn’t sure if Danny simply hadn’t considered him or he didn’t want to.

But she still felt like she had to ask. “What about Steve?”

“What about him?” Danny questioned, cocking his head. 

She shrugged. “I know Clay is capable, kid's saved my ass more than once, but don’t you think Steve would know exactly what you are looking for? I mean, it’s you and Steve. You’ve always had this weird psychic connection.”

Danny nodded, picking at the label of his beer. “I did think about it, back when the Governor said this was a possibility, but I don’t want them thinking that I’m trying to replace them with Steve. I especially don’t want Clay to think that.” Anyone could see that the kid had abandonment issues and Danny was starting to wonder if that was a requirement. Clay never talked about his dad. It wasn't like Steve, who didn't talk about John because of guilt and hurt, but instead it was like Junior, who didn't talk about his dad because of anger and resentment. 

Not that he blamed Junior, his father was an asshole and a part of him would have liked to yell at him, but it wasn't his place. 

“Danny, you know they won’t mind. They are smitten with him and the pastries. Do you remember how crushed Matt looked when he saw that there were no more coco-puffs left?” She questioned, snickering. And yeah, of course he did: the man had been pouting. An Army veteran, ex-FBI profiler, father of 5 was pouting because he didn’t have more sweets. “And if that’s the problem take both Clay and Steve. That way Clay doesn't feel left out and can learn something from both you and Steve.”

“I’ll talk with Steve first, ok?” He conceded.

And that was all she needed to hear.

She tackled him into a bear hug. “I am so happy you and Steve are good now.  _ More _ than good, from what I hear.”

Danny groaned. “Chin really needs to shut his mouth.”

“Oh c’mon, boss. You two already ruined out first bet, so it’s kind of your fault, really.”

“ _ First _ bet…? No, you know what, I don’t even want to know.” He shook his head, raising his hands. “Now, you call Chin and see if everything is going ok back home, and I’ll call Steve.”

“Please,  _ please, _ don’t have phone sex. I love you both, I’m happy for you both, but I really don’t need that in my life. It'd be like hearing your parents have sex. Gross."

Danny gave a long suffering glare before pointing at the door as he dialed Steve’s number. “Go. Before I bench you.” She saluted him and went to her room through the adjoining room. “Hi, babe!”

_ “Hey! What’s up? I thought you were in San Francisco?” _

“And I am.” He sighed, flopping on the bed: it was so good to hear his voice. Especially after the day he had had.

_ “How did everything go?” _ Danny groaned, rubbing his face.  _ “Understood... What did the governor say?” _

“I have 2 weeks to find all of my new team, 3 weeks to train them and restructure the whole team.” He moaned. “And I had thought that maybe… You could help us?”

He heard the sharp intake of breath.  _ “Danno, you know Coronado is…” _

Danny shot up, sitting on the bed. “Fuck. No. Babe, that’s not what I meant. I’d never ask you to join us and not go to Coronado. God,  _ no _ . I know how much you want to go there.” He would  _ never  _ ask Steve to give something he was so excited about for him. Never in his life.

_ “Oh. Thank you, Danno.” _ Steve mumbled and God, he really needed to make a better job of reassuring him as soon as he saw him again.  _ “What did you mean, then?” _

“We are going to need a SEAL for the new team and as good as Clay is… I wanted to know if you’d lend me a hand on picking the next one?”

_ “M-me? But your team…” _

“Babe, let me worry about them.” He interrupted, softly. “Look, if you don’t want to that’s alright, I understand, ok? I’m not going to push you away, I’d never do that. Only if you ever lie to me again.” He said. “Kono is alright with it, and we’d still be taking Clay with us. You’d be there in a professional capacity, not as my.. Friend, partner, whichever word you want to use.”

_ “You could still go with Matt.” _

“Perhaps, but Matt was not a SEAL, wasn’t even Navy and last thing I need is them starting a cock fight. Besides, you are like every Puppy SEAL’s hero or something. Please, think about it?”

_ “I don’t want you to have trouble with them because of me, Danno.” _ His voice was quiet. And God, Danny hated it. 

“Steve, if they have a problem with it we’ll talk about it, but it won’t be your fault, you hear me? And this is not a decision I’m making on my own. I did plan on asking you, but Kono suggested it, too.”

_ “She did? Kono?” _

“Yeah babe. It’s not just me, ok? You’ve got all of us back. Look, I have to go get a shower before bed because I stink and we have an early meeting before we get back to LA. Let me take you out on a date and we’ll talk about it some more if you want.”

_ “No.” _ Danny frowned, disappointment filling him, but he understood, and he knew Steve was just trying to look out for him, to make sure he was not going to be on a tight spot with his team. _ “If you are sure, I’ll do it, Danno. I want to help you, as much as I can.”  _ He said and Danny could hear the small smile in his voice. _ “Still want to go out though.” _

“It’s a date. Dress sharp. And Steven?”

_ “Hm?” _

“Thank you. It means so much to me.”

_ “Of course, Danno. I love you. Have a good night, yeah?” _

“Yeah.” He croaked, the words on the tip of his tongue, but he knew when he wanted to say them, and it sure as hell was  _ not  _ over the phone. “Sleep tight, babe. I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah? I’ll pick you up at 7.” He said instead.


	28. Chapter 28

Danny smirked when he picked him up, taking him in a way he hadn’t done until then, a full body glance over, sending tingles all over Steve’s body. And as soon as he got into the car Danny pulled him into a kiss. “Looking good, babe.”

“Yeah? Not looking bad yourself, Danno.” He replied before this time pulling him into another kiss. “So, where are you taking me?”

“Surprise. And if you are good, I’ll even let you drive on the way back.”

“I’ll be on my best behaviour, then.” He grinned at him, getting comfortable in the passenger seat. “How are the kids?”

“The boys are good, Grace I’m sure will kill someone within a week.”

“Grace.” Steve deadpanned. “ _ Your _ Grace?” Danny rolled his eyes at him.

“She’s got a test on Friday and although she will ace it because she knows it to a T, she insists that she will fail.” He explained. “We haven’t been able to make her take a break. And since all of her friends are also buried in books they can’t convince her either.” He sighed.

Steve nodded, thinking. Maybe he could. If Grace wanted, he could take her surfing to where the harder waves were. She mentioned she couldn’t go with her friends since only another one knew how to surf. And maybe Danny could come too.

“What are you thinking so hard about?” Danny said, resting his hand on his thigh.

“Let's take Grace out to surf on Saturday. Make a day out of it.” He said, gingerly looking at his partner.

“Huh?”

“The other day she was complaining she was stuck at the kiddie waves because of her friends, they don’t know how to surf yet, let’s take her to the harder ones. And before you say anything, Grace  _ knows  _ how to surf. Do you remember that time when she was in High School and she got into a fight?” Of course he remembered it, Rachel said that was part of his genes. “And we took her to surf in the North Shore even if she was technically grounded?” Danny chuckled at that memory, nodding. Rachel had  _ not  _ been pleased with them. “She calmed down after a few minutes in the water, and she had been ranting like you.”

“Yeah, I like that.” He leaned over and pressed a kiss on his jaw. “You are the best, babe.”

* * *

Danny heart felt feather light when he saw the blinding smile Steve had on his face. He wanted to put it there as much as possible. He looked so much younger, so much like his past, confident self.

And giving Steve a second chance was the best decision he could have ever made.

When they finally made it to the restaurant he had picked, he heard Steve take a sharp breath in: it was one of the best steakhouses in L.A.

“Danno?”

“Yeah, babe?” He said as he parked, in reverse, throwing an arm around Steve’s seat to look back, lips twitching into a smirk when he saw Steve lick his lips. “You like this, huh?”

“I like everything with you, Danny. Are we really coming here?”

“No, I just parked here to walk 5 miles to the next restaurant.” He sassed, rolling his eyes. “Last time you mentioned you hadn’t eaten a good steak in months, right?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t mean we had to come here, Danno. A regular one would have been fine.” Steve mumbled.

Danny sighed before kissing him, one hand wrapping around the back of his head. “I wanted to treat you, ok? And it’s alright, I’m not going to go bankrupt for taking you to a fancy place.”

“But…”

“Nope. No buts.” He kissed him again before he slid out of the car, Steve doing the same and waiting for him to round the car. “C’mon.” He put a hand on the small of Steve’s back, guiding him in. “Yes, hello, I have a reservation for two under the name Williams.” He said to the maître.

“Of course, Lieutenant, right this way. We are honoured that the head of t our city’s task force has decided to dine with us today.” Well, so much for not wanting to be recognised. He should have known better. He sent Steve a sheepish smile: something like this never happened in Hawaii.

Once they were seated Danny wished he had gotten a private room instead because he felt like everyone was looking at them. And the last thing he wanted was to give Steve unwanted attention. They thankfully were seated at one of the more secluded tables, behind a glass waterfall that provided a vague sort of intimacy.

“I’m sorry babe. I didn’t think… We never had this problem in Hawaii.” He apologised.

But Steve only smiled at him, leaving his hand, palm up, on the table. For Danny to decide if he wanted to take it or not. If he wanted to be seen on a date with another man. And he was a 45 years old man with three kids who lived with his ex-wife and really, the media already had a field day when they found that out, so who the fuck cared who he loved and decided to date? 

This was theirs and they could choose to do whatever the fuck they wanted with it. And really, he kissed Steve in the middle of the park not five nights ago.

And for the first time in 10 fucking years they were on the same regarding this. And he was not going to let Steve get the wrong impression, not after how hard he had worked to make Danny forgive him, he would not have run away again. 

Never again.

So he put his hand in Steve, smiling at him.

“It’s a good thing, you know?”

“Hm?” He looked up from their joined hands, tilting his head. “What is?”

“That they know who you are. It means you are doing a really good job, Danno.” Steve smiled at him, loving oozing out of him. “I’m really happy for you. You deserve this so much, Danny.”

“Thanks babe.” He croaked.

“I should have said it a lot more.” Steve admitted. “I wanted to but I didn’t know  _ how  _ to and…” He looked down at their hands, starting to retreat, but in a flair of panik Danny tightened his hold, eyes going big. “Sorry, sorry.” He squeezed his hand back. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise. But I am sorry. For not having been as supportive and as thankful as I should have been. You’ve done so much for me Danno, and I took it for granted, and I hurt you. So much.”

“Babe, that’s not…”

“It is.” He interrupted, the edges of his voice sharp. “Danny, you thought I  _ hated _ you. Because I was an asshole and you had just risked your life twice to save me in one day and all I did was say  _ your son _ was going to hate you like I did. And all because I just didn’t want to admit how I felt about you.” He shook his head and brought one of Danny’s hands to his mouth, kissing the inside of his wrist. “I love you.” He whispered.

Danny trembled: Steve had said it over a hundred times by now, yet this one, it felt the most special one. Maybe it was the setting, maybe it was the sincere look in his eyes, or maybe it simply was that gentle kiss.

“And I know. Whatever I thought back then? It’s long forgotten and forgiven, babe. I’m here, ok? With you. Same page.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. 100% yeah.” This time it was him who tugged on his hand and kissed his knuckles, that lovely blush spreading over Steve’s cheeks. God, he loved that reaction.

Without another word Danny let go of one of Steve’s hands and took the menu, but he still firmly held onto him, thumb brushing over the same knuckles he had just kissed.

“What are you thinking, babe?”

“The Rib eye sounds delicious.” He replied, his mouth watering already.

“Yeah? I think I’ll go for the New York strip.” he replied, leaving his menu on the table again. “Red wine ok?”

“Sure. Any that you had in mind?”

“Eh, was going to ask for their recommendation.” He shrugged, still playing with Steve’s hand.

Steve sighed, shaking his head. “Danno, you know they are going to give their most expensive wine.”

“Not if they want me as a customer again.” He grinned. “And even then, you’d be worth every single penny.”

Steve let out a soft whimper at those words and god, all Danny could imagine was having him spread out on his bed, sinfully long legs open and hands gripping the headboard while Danny kissed and bit every single inch of that glorious body, making sure Steve knew he was loved and cherished in ways he  _ knew _ no one had ever loved him before. He wanted to draw out as many sounds as he could from him, he wanted Steve to let go of any worry he had regarding them, he wanted to feel Steve’s warmth on his naked skin, wanted to feel the weight of his cock in his mouth, the taut muscles of his thighs tremble under his hands when he had him in his lap, riding him like a bull, or mouth at those forearms and shoulders and tattoos when Steve fucked him into the mattress.

Really, he wanted Steve to give him everything: his love, his pleasure, his pain, his doubts. And he would be sure to answer in nothing but pure devotion and love.

“Are you ready to order?” Their server seemed to suddenly materialize next to them, and Steve went to retrieve his hand, but Danny tightened his hold on it.

“Yup, we are.” Danny grinned at her. “So, my partner will have Ribeye. Medium-rare, a bit on the rarer side. And I’ll have the New York strip, same temperature.”

“Alright. Sides?”

“I’ll have the potato wedges and the broccolini… What about you, babe?” He questioned, smiling at him.

“I’ll have the baby carrots and the rosemary roasted potatoes.”

“Perfect selection. Are we doing wine?”

“Yes. Red. Please bring us your personal choice. But don’t make me break the bank.” She grinned and nodded, taking their menus away.

Danny turned around to face Steve, a smile appearing in his face when he saw the tender look in his face. “What?”

Steve shrugged, still smiling. “I liked you ordering for me. It’s nice.” Danny arched an eyebrow at that: Mr. Control issues liked that? “I don't have control issues." He groused, glaring at him. "And you are the only one I would ever let order for me, Danno. You know me so well.” 

“Of course I do.” He replied as their served came with their bottle of wine.

* * *

Dinner was _superb_. Steve had never felt the way he did around Danny. No one had ever treated him like Danny did, like he was the best thing in the word and needed to be handled with care. But not patronising, not in a way that made him feel inferior or like a child. Like something Danno was careful with because it meant so much to him.

That didn’t mean they didn’t argue about this and that and poke and push each other, but now, when they did, he could wrap an arm around his waist to pull him in and kiss him, or simply take his hand. He could do everything he had always dreamt of.

As they exited the restaurant, warm, happy and fed, Steve reached for Danny, sliding a hand inside his left pocket and removed the car keys.

“Seriously, babe?”

“You did say I could drive, Danno.”

“I said you could drive if you were  _ good _ .” He groused, but made no move to retrieve his keys.

Steve grinned, climbing behind the wheel and adjusting the seat, ignoring Danny’s comment of “fucking Mr. Long legs” and “better leave it like you found it”. He gripped the wheel, a smile appearing in his face before he wasn’t even aware of it.

“God, I missed this car.” He announced.

“You’ve been in this car before now, babe.”

“Yeah, but not driving it.” 

“Which just proves I was right when you said you got sick if you weren’t driving.” Danny replied, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah… But I know you, Danno, if you really didn’t want me driving you would have punched me again.” He shot back as he leaned over the console to kiss his brow. “I’m glad you didn’t, though. Hurt like a fucking bitch.”

“Poor baby SEAL.”

“I’ll show you baby SEAL.” Steve muttered as he rolled out of the parking. “So, hum, are we going somewhere else…?”

Danny cocked his head. “Well, I hadn’t planned for anything other than dinner, but sure babe, we can do something else.”

Steve smiled because that meant more time with Danno. So he started heading towards Mulholland Drive. Maybe the view wasn’t as good at night as it was in the day, and it certainly was not Danny’s favourite lookout in Hawaii (but nothing could beat Hawaii anyways), but he just wanted some peace and quiet with Danny.

At some point during the ride Danny had moved his hand over the console and let it rest on Steve’s thigh. Just resting. Not teasing, not caressing, just… a weight on Steve’s body, a way to maintain contact. Even at dinner, when they had to let go of their hands to eat, he still reached out to tangle his leg with Danny’s.

He sighed, content, when they made it there and he saw that they were alone. He parked as near the fence as he could and then got out, Danny following suit. 

“Come here.” He said as he climbed on the hood of the car, propped against the windshield. Danny arched an eyebrow, but did as told and before Steve could even think of dragging him closer, Danny plastered himself on his side, resting his head on his shoulder.

They didn’t say anything, they just watched the twinkling lights below them, the car keeping them warm and Danny had sneaked his hand under Steve’s, now untucked, button up. It was nothing even remotely sexual, it was just resting there, against his flank, thumb softly caressing the skin.

And god, Steve loved this. To be able to do this with Danny. He would never have allowed himself to do that in Hawaii. He  _ hadn’t _ allowed himself to do that. He hadn’t allowed them. He wondered if Danny had always known, if he had been ready and waiting for Steve to realise. 

And now he had to know.

“Babe?”

“Hm?”

“How long…” He swallowed, turning his head to hide his face in Danno’s hair. “When did you know you… liked me like this?” He didn’t dare say “loved me”, Danny hadn’t said it back once, and while he understood, he could not handle asking that and getting no answer, or worse, Danny saying he didn’t love like that. He felt him mumble something, but he didn’t catch. “Sorry, what was that?”

Danny moved some so his mouth wasn’t plastered on his chest. “Plane. When you said you were going to die…” He trembled, his whole body shaking and Steve couldn’t help but hold him closer. “I knew that was it. That you were it. And if you had died… God, Steve, I don’t know what I would have done, but I know I would not have been able to come back from it.”

He was not able to stop the tale-telling tremble in his breath from happening: Danny had put up with him and his moods, when he was downright nasty and snapping at his supposedly best friend, when he kept pushing him away but pushing away from Danny himself, too. And he had been… feeling that way about him for 5 years and never said anything, never let it affect their friendship for real other than a few fights here and there.

And now he understood why he kept going back to Rachel, because every time he tried to get close to him, to help him, he kept refusing his efforts over and over again, because he kept getting hurt every time but never knew when it was going to be, how bad it was going to be, with Rachel, he knew that. He knew they would explode at one point.

“Danno…” He moved his mouth to get another sound out, but nothing was coming out. Nothing.

“Hey, hey.” Danny pulled up, but still stayed pressed against him. “Breathe for me, babe, c’mon. You are alright, you’ve done nothing wrong. You’ve apologised enough, Steve. Did it hurt back then? Yes, it did. A lot. But we are here, aren’t we? We are here. And I’m not going anywhere and I’m not letting  _ you  _ go anywhere.” He finished before kissing him, tilting his head up. “I was waiting until I drove you to Coronado, but babe, when I said we were on the same page?” Steve nodded, his breath still a little bit uneven. “I meant exactly that, I feel the same about you, ok? What you feel for me? Exactly the same.” He was still going to hold onto the actual words, but Steve was smart, so very smart when he wanted, so he knew his partner would understand exactly what he was saying.

“Really?” A smile was starting to break, his eyes twinkling again.

“Really really.” He kissed him, one hand holding the side of his neck. “You and the kids are the most precious people in my life.”

Steve nodded, before he hugged him, pulling him down on top of him. “You are mine too.” He kissed his neck. “Love you so much.” Danny hummed and yeah, it wasn’t the words, but Danny had just admitted to being in love with him too. And he knew he would get to hear them before he left to… “Did you say you were driving me to Coronado?”

“Yeah. If you want to. Unless you are taking your rental there?”

“‘Course I want to. And no, I was going to give it back next week.” He replied. “I know I’m staying here for good now, might as well buy a car.” 

“Not a Silverado. Hated that car.” Danny mumbled, pushing his face against Steve’s shoulder, feeling right at home.

“What was wrong with it?”

“Humongous, for starters. It was ugly. And so fucking slow. So you get yourself a nice car so you can look like you came straight from a GQ cover and I can make everyone jealous when I kiss you, hm?”

Steve laughed at that. “You got it, Danno.” He kissed him again. “C’mon, we should head back. And you’ll already be super late when you get home after you get me home.”

“Hm… I’m going to be working from home tomorrow, why don’t you stay with me?”

And he wanted it. He wanted it so much. But no. It was not right. “Danno.” He said, taking his face in his hands to make sure no misunderstandings happened. “I want to, really, but I can’t. Not yet. I need to do things right with you. And I don’t want the kids to find out before we’ve had a chance to really tell them.”

Danny groaned. “Ugh, who gave you the right to be so perfect, huh?” No seriously, who did? Because it was starting to feel like they had a vendetta against him and had decided to torture him with not only the hottest man in the planet but also the man who, always (granted, so long as his head was straight), put his children above his own wishes.

“I’m pretty sure I’m not perfect.”

“Well, you are to me.” He replied, pushing up to smile at him. “And so fucking gorgeous.”

“Hm… But you see, Danno, from where I’m standing, that’s you.” He replied, pushing up and pressing a kiss on his nose before they slid to the floor. “C’mon, let’s go.”

* * *

He let Steve drive again to Mary’s place (although considering he paid half of everything it was almost theirs, now. Mary surely insisted on him referring to it as such) and before he stepped out of the car Danny pulled him into a hungry kiss, one that ended up being a short, but intense, make out session that left them both half laying across the car and breathing hard.

“Fucking beautiful.” Steve said, taking in the sight before him.

“Right back at you.” He pressed a hot kiss on his neck. “Go. Please. Before we end up fucking in here.”

Steve chuckled. “Yeah, not the best car for fucking.” 

“Nor are we teenagers.” He gave him another few pecks before he pushed him away, stepping out of the car to get to the driver’s side. “Go. Call Gracie about Saturday, yeah? She’ll probably listen to you more.”

“You got it. Love you.” 

“Same page, babe. Same page.” He waited until Steve was safely inside his house before he peeled off their driveway and headed to his home.

He could not have asked for a better date in his life. He had never felt so relaxed in one before, even with the heavy topics that came up, he had never been more comfortable.

And maybe he had been too quick to tell Steve he loved him too, but he had not been able to resist the pain etched in those beautiful eyes, and he could still read his partner like a book and there was no way,  _ no way _ , that he had faked it. He couldn’t even have thought of faking it, because Steve would never do something like that.

That was not who he was. That was not the man he had fallen head over heels for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So next week I might not be able to update because I completely screwed with my schedule and I have nothing written and it's going to be a bit of a crazy week for yours truly, but I will update the shorter-chapter stories. And I also made this longer than usual as an apology!
> 
> I'm not one much for dates, so I hope this comes across as a somewhat believable date.


	29. Chapter 29

**That was not who he was. That was not the man he had fallen head over heels for.**

“Uncle Steve! What’s up?” She asked, rolling onto her back, stretching. It wouldn't hurt to take a few minutes.

_ “A little bird told me you are stressing over some silly test.” _ She groaned at that.

“It’s not some silly test! I need to…”

_ “Grace, Danno said you know it to a T, and you and I both know he’s right.” _

“You are just saying that because it’s Danno.”

He chuckled, warm and carefree, in a way she hadn’t heard in a very long time. It was nice, having him back. Truly having him back. He had been working so hard to earn their (her) forgiveness, she hugged the stuffed polar bear he had gotten her, pink bow tie and all.

_ “Maybe. But that doesn’t make it any less true. And stressing like this is not good for you. If anything, I’d say it can be too much and will work against you on the actual test. So to make sure that isn't happening, Danno and I are taking you out to go surfing.” _ Okay, so maybe Uncle Steve had a point.  _ “And we are not going to the kiddie waves.” _

They were going to some beach with proper waves? “And Danno is coming, too?”

_ “That’s what he said. Unless he has a big case, I guess. We can go another day if we can't tomorrow…” _

She blinked at that, she had just assumed that they still would… “Can’t we go anyways? You and me?”

She heard the surprised noise he made on the back of his throat. “Y-yeah, _ of course. If-If you want to, yeah. I wasn’t sure if…” _

“It’s good to have you back, Uncle Steve.” She interrupted, smiling, even if he couldn’t see her. “You should come over for dinner some time.”

She heard his breath stutter, surprise and relief colouring his voice this time. Really, Uncle Steve self-esteem was so shitty sometimes. Not that she wasn't partially to blame with how harsh she had been, but _he had hurt Danno_.  _ “Yeah?” _

“Yeah. You are leaving the 28th next month, right?”

_ “Correct.” _

“So we need to throw a party with everyone!” She exclaimed. “And you have to see the house before! What are you doing next Wednesday?”

_ “Well, uh, nothing, in theory, but…” _

“Okay, then you can come then and…”

_ “Gracie! I think you should talk it over with your parents first, ok?” _ Oh, he was right. Not that she thought they would have a problem with it, but she still needed to ask them. 

“Okay… But you want to come, right?”

_ “Yeah Gracie, of course I want to come.” _ She smiled at that. Uncle Steve wanted to come see them in their house, like old times.

“Awesome!” She cheered, looking up when she noticed someone coming in. “Oh, hi Danno!” She greeted smiling at her dad. “Danno, can Uncle Steve come for dinner next week?”

Danny smiled at her: he was glad that she had been able to forgive him. It had been tearing both of them apart, and just hearing her call him ‘Uncle Steve’ again made his eyes water.

“Yeah, of course, if he wants to.” He extended his hand and she gave him the phone, making room for him on the bed. “Hi babe.”

_ “Hey Danno. Is it… Is it really okay?” _

“Of course it is, you schmuck.” He shook his head. “We on for tomorrow?”

_ “Yeah, Danno.” _ He said at the same time his daughter nodded. 

“Alright then. You gonna come pick us up?”

_ “Yup. See you tomorrow.” _

“See you tomorrow babe.” He gave the phone back to Grace.

“See you tomorrow Uncle Steve!” 

She hung up and then looked at her father, cocking her head. “You are calling him babe again.”

“Hm? Yeah. What about it?”

She shrugged. “I’m just happy you are. Makes everything right again.” She explained before grinning at him, a playful edge on her lips. “So… I heard you sneak in yesterday.”

Danno spluttered. “I did not.. I was not sneaking in, Grace. I have nothing to hide, I have no reason to sneak in. And besides, who is the one who sneaked out last week to go hang out at the park, hm?”

“You  _ know _ ?”

“Of course I know! I was awake and you are not that sneaky, monkey.” He laughed, kissing her head. “Next time just ask, ok? Don’t make me track your phone again, please.”

“You tracked my phone?” She exclaimed, glaring at him.

“Oh, don’t give me that look, young lady. If you want to go out just say it, don’t go sneaking around, because I will assume the worst. And, do I have to remind you of that Halloween party? Hm?” 

She deflated, crossing her arms over her chest and huffing out. “That was forever ago, Danno.”

“Yeah, but that just proves you haven’t gotten that much better. And honestly, after everything we've been through, I just can't help worrying about you and your brothers.” He kissed her head. “I’m going to blame it one living in a big house, because you learn pretty early on how to sneak in and out with three siblings and parents in a small apartment.”

“You sneaked out, too?” She questioned, surprised. Danno had always been one to play by the rules, so the thought of him sneaking out…

“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me, kiddo.”

“Does grandma know?”

“Of course she knows. She caught Aunt Stella and I once coming back from a party. I have never seen her so angry. And believe me, it is not something I ever want to see again.” He chuckled. 

“Ok. But where  _ were  _ you yesterday?”

Danny sighed: he should have known his daughter would be like a dog with a bone with that topic. “I’ll tell you in a few days, ok? Promise.” She sighed, but nodded. “Good, now go get your brother, we are going to the supermarket.” He said, standing up

“Kay Danno. Charlie! We are off to the supermarket!” God, she sounded so much like her mother sometimes, it gave him chills.

“Okay!” Came from the other end of the hallway. 

* * *

Danny refrained the urge to groan: somehow Gracie was even more hyped up to go surfing with Steve than Charlie had been. And it was nice seeing her so enthusiastic about something these days, and the fact that it was Steve, well, that was just amazing, but god, it was too early to have that much energy. She had offered Nahele to come, not wanting him to feel left out, but he had replied that it was cool, that he was going to sleep the morning away and, he didn’t care much for surfing, he much preferred to run, and Charlie had Little League.

Steve rolled into their street, smiling and as soon as he was out of the car to help them secure their boards Grace was hugging him.

“Morning Uncle Steve!”

“Morning Grace Face!” 

Danny groaned. “You two have too much energy.” He groaned. “Do I even want to know what time you woke up, babe?”

“Probably not.” Steve conceded as he took his board and set it on top of the car. “Do we have everything?”

“Yeah. Let’s go!” Grace urged as she climbed on the back seat. 

* * *

It had taken some work to get Danno into the water, but that wasn’t anything new, so after a few minutes of combined puppy eyes he relented and agreed.

She could not remember the last time she had had so much fun. Nor the last time she had seen Danno so happy. In or out of the water. And the same with Uncle Steve, he was all happy and cuddly again, like he was when she was little. 

And him and Danno were touching an awful lot. Like, a lot. Even for them.

“Holy shit, you two are fucking!” She exclaimed, the words making it to her mouth before she had time to process them in her head.

“What?”

“Grace Elizabeth Williams!”

She could feel her face burn, embarrassment coursing through her. How could she have said that out loud? She looked around, but hopefully there was no one near them who could have heard her.

“S-sorry, Danno. Sorry, Uncle Steve.” She apologised, not able to look at either in the eyes, so she missed the way Steve’s eyes had comically widened, or how Danny was shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his nose because he should have known his daughter would figure it out, she had been around them the longest.

She didn't see how Steve leaned over to mutter something in Danno’s ear, her dad smiling at him in return.

“Jesus Monkey, you don’t pull your punches, do you?” She shrugged. “C’mon, we are not angry. You are not the first to think so. Although people don’t usually say it so bluntly, that’s true.” He put his hand on her head. “Let’s go have lunch.”

She nodded and followed them. She didn’t say anything else the whole way back, still not believing she had said that outloud. She knew how they felt and she knew how they both intended to work on it, why would she put that pressure on them?

She sat down on her towel and accepted the sandwich Uncle Steve had made for them and the soda Danno pulled out of the cooler.

“So, Monkey, anything you wanna say?”

She shrugged. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s just…” She pursed her lips. “You two are touching each other a lot! Even more than before we left.”

“Hm… I guess we are, aren’t we?” Danny mused. “We wanted to wait a bit more before we told you, but I don’t want you misunderstanding anything.”

Her head snapped back up: tell her what? Was she right? Was Steve leaving again? But he had said he wasn’t going to Coronado until next month! What was going on? 

“What…?” She looked at them, but goddamnit, they were so hard to read sometimes, and right now they looked as if they had been talking about the weather! “So you _are_ fu… sleeping together!?” Because that was the only option that seemed to make sense.

Danny sighed. “Dating, Gracie, we are dating.”

“You are?” But her voice got drowned by Steve’s awed ‘we are?’

“What do you mean ‘we are’, you putz?” Danny replied, glaring at him because what the hell did Steve think the other night was? Dinner between heterosexual macho bros?

“Sorry, sorry.” And obviously without thinking, Grace witnessed how Uncle Steve hugged Danno and kissed the side of his head. The hugging was normal. The kissing? Not so much. Or at least not for her, because they quite obviously were at ease doing so. In public.

“Is that why you came home so late yesterday? You were on a date?” She questioned.

“Well, she definitely takes after you, Danno.” Steve said, smiling at her. “Good job, Gracie.”

“Don’t encourage her! Kono was already a nightmare.” The blond man grumbled, but still made no move to pull away from him. “But yes, we were on a date yesterday.”

“You told Auntie Kono before us?” She questioned, glaring at them both, mildly hurt. How could they tell Auntie Kono before her? Their own daughter? And their own sons?

“Hey, hey, come here.” Danno tugged her into a one-arm hug. “We did not. Chin did.” 

“And Chin found out because he saw us kissing in Danno's office. You and your siblings were always going to be the first ones we told.” Steve finished. “Any other question?”

“Since when? What happened? Does mom know?”

“Three weeks or so.”

“Twenty-five days days.” Steve corrected and really, if he weren’t so adorable Danny would whack him on the head, so he settled for pinching his side. “What? I’m right!”

“Nevermind. And what happened is that  _ he _ was being cute.” He replied, squeezing his side when he saw Steve blush a bit at those words, basically proving his words.

“Uncle Steve has always been cute around you.” Grace deadpanned, but it was the truth. Uncle Steve always behaved really differently with Danno.

“Okay, fair. Cuter?”

“Yeah, that works.”

Steve huffed next to them, colour rising to his cheeks, his eyes holding a hint of embarrassment and shyness. “I’m still here, y’know?”

“Oh, we know, Uncle Steve.” She moved to her knees to hug him. “Should always have been here, but you two are dummies.” She finished.

Danny didn’t say anything, he simply squeezed Steve’s side when he saw the tremble in his lips. God, that man was just a giant walking marshmallow. 

“Well, I already told Danno, but I’m not going anywhere.”

Grace nodded, her face serious, her eyes considering her next words. “Is that a promise, Uncle Steve?”

“The most important one I have ever made. And that I will _ever_ make.” He replied, and Danny’s heart jumped at those words, because it was one thing that Steve would promise him, but it was a very different one that Steve would promise his child because he knew that he would never hurt any of the children like that. Not that he believed that Steve would do it to him, but it was just further prove that he was here to stay, with them. He felt any lingering doubts he had disappearing even more than they did in their date.


	30. Chapter 30

“So, did you have fun today, Gracie?” Steve asked while they waited for Danny, who had gone to the store to buy them some water.

“Yeah. Thank you for getting me out, Uncle Steve.” She grinned at him and moved to her tiptoes, kissing him on the cheek. And Steve felt like he would burst into tears: “We need to do it again before you leave. With Charlie and Hele, too.”

“Of course. How about next weekend, huh?”

“Fine by me. Charlie has Little League on Saturdays, so maybe Sunday?”

“Sounds perfect for me.” He kissed her head. “Hey, just to make things clear, ok? I’m not going anywhere and if I have to, I’ll always come back.”

Grace stared at him for a few seconds before she nodded, hugging him tight. “Always?”

“Always. It’s where I belong.”

“Damn, right it is.”

“Language.”

The unimpressed look she gave him was an exact copy of her dad’s, only with brown eyes. “You are a sailor. Danno is from New Jersey, and you think I can’t swear?”

“I know you can swear, I’ve seen you play videogames.” He replied, hugging her. “Danno is going to kill me if I let you swear, though, so _please_ don't do it where he can see.”

She laughed at that, hugging him back. It was so good to have Uncle Steve back.

* * *

Danny swallowed when he saw them hug: he didn’t know what would have happened if Grace had been against their relationship. He was not going to let Steve leave, not again. Never again. But it definitely would have been a lot harder. And to see them hug like this? Like they used to? It meant the world to him. 

“Your family?” The woman next to him questioned, smiling at him.

“Yeah. My partner and my daughter.” He replied, returning the smile. “That yours?” He pointed at a woman with two twin boys.

“Yeah! It’s our first outing together.” She explained, extending her hand. “Georgie.”

“Danny. Nice to meet ya.”

“You know, I feel like I’ve seen you on TV or somewhere before.” She gave him a long hard look, and if he didn’t have to stare at perps who glared at him day in and day out, he’d seriously be nervous. “Wait. I know! Lieutenant Williams? Charlie’s dad?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“I’m his maths teacher!” She explained. “If you don’t mind me asking… He said you and his mother lived together but…” Her eyes strayed to Steve and Gracie, and he couldn’t fault her, his family’s housing situation was strange, and they all were aware of that.

He shook his head, grinning. “Rachel and I divorced a long time ago, Grace was just a kid. Things happened and we managed to become friends again, but just friends. We decided that if both of us were moving back here and we both were working near LA, it made more sense to live together so Charlie wouldn’t have to go back and forth between houses. But we are not together.” He explained.

“Ah, I see. I wish my ex-husband and I could do that. It just seems impossible.”

“It took us ten years, and there were really rough patches, but if you both put the children first, I’m sure you’ll be able to work something out.” Danny said, extending his hand back to her. “It was nice to meet you, but I need to get back to them before they run back into the water and drag me with them.”

She laughed, nodding. “Of course. Have a good day!”

“You too. And I hope things get better with your ex-husband.”

“Thank you.”

And as he made his way back to them, he couldn’t help but smile even more when Steve tugged on Grace’s ponytail. 

He was so glad things were finally going back to normal, with some major changes, sure, but really, Steve had always been one extra fatherly figure in his kids lives, how was that going to change now?

* * *

“Hey, Monkey, send Hele out here, will you? And tell him to get dressed, we are going out for coffee.”

“Okay, Danno. Bye Uncle Steve!” She leaned over to kiss him on the cheek before heading into the house yelling for her brother as she was opening the door. True Williams style.

Danny twisted around to face his partner, wrapping a hand around the back of his neck to pull him into a kiss. Steve’s hand wrapping around his waist.

Steve pulled away a few seconds later, resting his forehead on Danno’s, his breathing slightly uneven.

“Are you sure you wanna tell Nahele too? We hadn’t planned for Gracie’s. We can wait, Danno.” He whispered, needing Danny to understand that he was in no hurry for them to know, that it was not something he, personally, needed.

But Danny shook his head. “I want him to know. I don’t want him to think that we haven’t told him because he is not my son. And besides, this is not only my decision, babe. Are _you_ alright with him knowing?”

Steve blinked, taken aback: he hadn’t really thought he had a saying on that particular matter, they were not his children, he loved them as such, but they were not, so he had thought Danny would just call the shots on when to tell them.

“Babe?” He looked at Danny, his blue eyes filled with worry.

He shook his head and simply hugged him. “Of course I want him to know. Danno, I want _everyone_ to know how much I love you.”

Danny hummed before kissing him again. “Ditto, babe. I told a woman in the beach. She's Charlie's math teacher.” He confessed as he scratched him behind the ear, loving the way Steve blushed. “Cute.”

“Shut up.” Steve grumbled before he pushed away. “So, where are we going?”

“There’s a cafe a couple of streets from here, we can go there.” He replied. “Have you told Mary?”

“Not really. I told her you were taking me on a date. I wanted to tell her after we told the kids.” He replied, smiling. “That ok?”

“Of course babe. She’s your sister, you can tell her as much or as little as you want. You don’t need my permission, yeah?”

“Yeah.” He leaned over again and pressed a quick kiss on his jaw. 

Not even ten seconds later Nahele was coming out of the house and heading their way.

“Hi dad, hi Steve. What’s up? Gracie said you needed to talk to me?” He questioned as he climbed into the car.

“Yeah.” Danny replied, twisting around to look at him. “How was your day, kiddo?”

“I slept until late, had lunch with mum and Charlie and then I went for a run with Eddie and then we did some Hawaiian.” Steve's heart swelled when he heard Nahele refer to Danny and Rachel as mum and dad, they really deserved it, but it was something else that caught his attention.

“Hawaiian?”

Nahele nodded, sticking his head in the middle of the seats, but he got two hands in his face gently pushing him back. “Seriously?” He sputtered.

“Sorry kiddo, it’s the habit.” Danny said, ruffling his hair.

“Same.” Steve chuckled when Nahele huffed.

“Yeah, yeah… Anyway, Charlie wanted to keep learning Hawaiian so one or two days a week I teach him some.” He explained and Steve nodded, slightly surprised Danny let them do that, but his partner had softened up a lot when it came to Hawaii, and he imagined he did even more now that he had Hele.

“That’s great.”

“I know!”

* * *

Nahele sat down at their booth, staring at the two men. “So… are you going to tell me what’s going on or…?”

“Yes, yes, but at least give us time to order, kiddo.” Danny replied, rolling his eyes. “Did your mum only feed you sugar? You are as hypey as Charlie after he has gummies.” 

“Ouch, Danno.” He pouted, making them chuckle. “I’m at least a bit better.” He finished and yeah, Nahele was definitely soaking up the Williams snark, Steve thought, grinning. And the fact that Danny was referring to Rachel as his mum and Nahele just going with it, that was the best thing, because it meant he had fully accepted his place in their family.

“Hi Danny.” The waitress greeted them (sort of, really, since she only acknowledged Danno). “I haven’t seen you in forever. I almost thought you had forgotten about me!” She pouted at him, nice and sweet and flirty, setting her hand on his shoulder. The only thing she was missing was twirling her hair on her finger.

She was pretty. And young. She couldn’t be older than 27, not a single grey hair on her brown locks, her eyes still had that youthful spark. He could bet that she had no bullet scars on her chest, on her legs, on her torso, no knife scars either on her thighs, no nightmares about children dying or partners dying.

Steve felt tension rise on his shoulders, waiting to see Danny’s reaction: it was one thing to hold hands in a dark corner in a high-end restaurant, it was one thing to tell their ohana and their families, or a supposedly stranger in the beach, it was a completely different thing to tell a waitress in a packed cafe.

“Been busy.” He replied, and maybe it was because Steve knew him so well, he could hear the clipped tone and he felt some of the tension leave him: he knew Danno would never do that to him, but sometimes his deeper insecurities came afloat. “Ah babe, this is Michelle, our usual waitress.” Yeah, no wonder why, he thought. “This is my partner, Steve.”

“Oh, you are in the task force, too? Nice to meet you.” She replied, still smiling, even if it was a bit forced around the edges, her hand still on Danny's shoulder.

He looked at Danny, slightly alarmed: this was not how they planned to tell Nahele. God, none of this was going to plan and he _hated_ that, he hated having no control of what was going on, especially when the kids or Danny could be hurt.

“He’s not.” Danny simply said, but the voice in which he said it... warm and dripping love and affection like it was honey it left no room for misunderstandings. He took Danny's hand when he stretched it over the table, fingers curling in the warm, calloused hand.

He heard Nahele gasp, but it was drowned by the positively sour “Ah. I see.” from Michelle. “What can I get you?” She continued

“I’ll have my usual. Black coffee with a splash of cream, for him.” Steve nodded, feeling his insides tingle at the sight of Danny ordering for him: it was definitely something he liked, the other night was not a fluke. It felt nice to be taken care of this way, to have someone who knew you so completely that he didn't even doubt on how he wanted his coffee “Hele? What do you want?”

The young man shook his head. “What do I want? Are you serious, you two just…” He took a big breath, realising he was raising his voice so he stopped himself, took a small breath and gave his order. “I’ll have a Coke, please.”

“Right away.” And with that, she left.

And then they were at the mercy of a very excited, very confused, very judgy 22 years old.

“So…” Danny started.

“You two are together? For real? Since when? What happened?” He was looking back and forth between them.

“You are going to get a neck crick, Nahele.” Steve snickered. “But yeah, for real.”

“That’s awesome!” He hugged Danny, squeezing the air out of him. “I’m so happy for you two!” He released the blond man and hugged Steve instead, half kneeling on his seat. Danny smiled when he saw Steve return the hug with as much emotion as Nahele was putting in it. 

After a few more seconds they split and Nahele sat down again in his seat. “But why now? What happened?

“Steve was being cute.” Danny stated, using the same exact words he had used with Grace and he was glad (and smug, why deny it) when a new blush coloured Steve’s face.

“He’s always been cute and goofy around you, Danno.”

Danny snorted at the same time Steve groaned, hiding his face on his free hand.

“Oh, God help us all. Grace is rubbing off on you.” The taller man cried.

“She said the same thing.” Danno explained when Nahele looked at them, confused. “But seriously, babe, acting like this? Not helping your case.” He chuckled, making Nahele smile: he loved being told he was similar to his siblings, to his parents.

“Shut up, Danno.”

“He kinda has a point.” Nahele said. “Oh Danno, do you remember that time you came with Gracie and Charlie to the truck and Tani and Steve were in the water? I think it was Junior’s birthday?”

“Yeah, of course. What about it?”

“Well, you and Charlie were playing in the sand when Steve and Tani came out of the water and he just like, stopped. And he was all… What did Grace call it...? Oh yeah, mushy.” 

Steve remembered that day. Steve loved that memory of Danny sitting on the sand, playing with Charlie, relaxed and smiling and not a single care in the world. It had been so rare to see him like this in Hawaii, especially if it involved sand. And the way Danny had smiled at him when he looked up, hugging Charlie from behind… His heart had yearned to be there with them, not just as Uncle Steve, Danno’s work partner and best friend, but as Danno’s boyfriend. 

“Ah wait, I think I still have the…” He took his phone out and started to scroll like crazy and it would always amaze Danny how they were even able to see anything. “Here!” He gave Danny the phone.

And Danny stopped breathing for a second. Steve’s eyes. Steve’s smile. His whole body language as he looked at them. There was so much love in them that he could almost feel it _now_ through the photo. How did he ever think he could live without this? How? Because it was all he ever wanted, someone who knew him, _really_ knew him and loved him and all of his children.

He gave the phone back to his son before he stood up and rounded the table, standing next to Steve.

“Danny?” There were slight worry marks around his face, and Danny knew somehow, his lovable idiot, had convinced himself he had done something wrong without doing anything.

So he simply leaned in and gave him a soft kiss on the lips, cupping his face with one hand. He didn’t say anything, he simply brushed his cheek with his thumb a few times, and when Steve gave him a small smile Danny knew he understood.

“Me too, Danny.” He whispered, pressing another kiss on his mouth, both of them startling when a glass was slammed on their table. Well, someone was not happy. 

And he could not care less when he had the love of his life kissing him in front of his son. In the middle of a cafe, in their neighbourhood, where he supposed everyone knew them.

He was pretty sure he saw Nahele take a picture, but he honestly could not care if all of LA and/or Oahu knew about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now Nahele knows too! And at this rate so will half of LA, but who cares? They are happy and I feel for the pool bastard who decides to use it against them.


	31. Chapter 31

**He was pretty sure he saw Nahele take a picture, but he honestly could not care if all of LA and/or Oahu knew about it.**

“Everything alright, babe?” Danny questioned when Nahele stepped out of the car and into the house, possibly to show the picture he had gotten of them.

Lord have mercy, Nahele and Grace together were… threatening, to say the least.

“Yeah. I’m just happy, Danno.” He grinned at him, Danny’s lips twitching into a smile and simply had to kiss him, one hand sliding to the back of his neck, swallowing Danny’s low hum. “I’m gonna talk to Mary and Joannie when I get back.”

“We can wait, babe.”

Steve shook his head. “I want her to know, Danno. Besides, Grace knew within a couple of hours of seeing us together, do you really think she won’t know when she sees us tomorrow?” 

Danny hummed: it was a very good point. They had always been bad at being apart, and he could only imagine how bad they had gotten at it now. “That’s a fair point.” He conceded. “I’ll tell Rachel and Charlie. Not that I have much hopes those two haven’t already bombarded her with messages.”

“Oh c’mon Danno, they are not that bad.”

“Yes, yes, they are, but I still love them.” He replied, grinning. But he knew they wouldn't do that to them, not with Rachel, at least. Especially Grace. “You think Tani doesn’t know by now? That Lou doesn’t know? Kame? You are so cute, babe.” He kissed his nose before pecking him on the lips, playful. “What time do you want us to come tomorrow?”

Steve didn’t reply, he wasn’t still sure he should be there, with all of Danny’s team. What if they were against them dating and tried to push them away? Or talked Danny out of it? He didn’t want to put him at odds with his team, he had worked so hard to get here and he was not going to ruin his chances, no way. He loved him too much, and if being with Danny meant his team was going to push him away, he'd rather take a step back and go back to only being friends. It would hurt, it would hurt like a bitch, but he preferred to be the one hurting a million times.

“Hey, stop that.” Danny stopped his train of thought, holding his chin, ensuring Steve was looking at him as he talked. “You are thinking about the team again. They are fine with you, with _us_ , Steve. I promise, okay? They know how much effort you’ve put into getting us back. I am also 97% sure they know about us because that team of mine? Worse gossipers than Italian grandma’s on a warm summer evening and if you add the guys in Hawaii to the mix… Believe me, they know.” He complained. 

“Italian grandma’s on a... ? Sometimes you lose me, Danno. But are you sure that…”

Danny sighed, cupping his face with both hands and squeezing tight. “They are cool with it. With everything. I talked with Clay today about you coming with us to the SEAL candidates and he didn’t even care that you’d be there with us. Hell, he had already _assumed_ you’d be there.”

“What? Why?”

“Babe, he understands that he is too young to fully understand everything we are looking for in someone to be in the task force. I mean, take you, Junes and him. Neither of you are all that similar except for the fact that you are all adrenaline junkies who like to give me heart attacks.” He buried a hand in his longer locks (already mourning the fact he’d have to cut it to go to Coronado). “So he had already guessed that we’d be taking you with us. After all, you still are one of the best SEALs to exist. Certainly the best I've ever know.”

“Oh.” He mumbled, suddenly embarrassed at Danny telling him that, because nothing made him feel prouder of himself than when Danny acknowledged him. He used to love the praise he got from his superior officer or his teammates, but it all paled in comparison to when Danny looked at him with that soft smile and bright eyes.

“And I also think that much like Junes, he's starstruck with you. Do all puppy SEAL have crushes on you? Should I be worried?” He grinned, making Steve groan as he moved his hands back to his face.

“Neva'. And pleash don’t shay tha. I lof _you_.” He said, or tried to, because Danno was still squishing his cheeks. “You are hurtin ma sheecks Danno.”

“God, you are so fucking cute.” Danny mumbled before he pulled him into a kiss, hands sliding to the back of his neck at the same time Steve wrapped an arm around his back.

When they pulled away all the worry seemed to have disappeared from Steve’s eyes, except for a few embers.

“Everything will be fine, yeah? Nothing is going to happen, no one is making me change my mind, I'm not going anywhere.” He whispered to him, lips brushing his cheek. “Now, go home and talk to Mary. Call me if you want to talk after, ok?”

“Ok.” He pecked his cheek. “Love you Danno.”

“Mh-hm.” He kissed him again. God, he couldn’t get enough of him. He had longed for this for so long that he was incapable of not touching Steve, of not kissing Steve and letting everyone know that his SEAL was taken. And that he was taken right back, He should probably go back at the cafe and tell Jean, the manager, that Michelle's attitude towards them once she found out about Steve and him had been terrible. Now, he didn't want her to get fired, of course not, but she certainly needed a reminder that slamming things on a table was no manners in any setting. “What time tomorrow?”

“Dunno. Around 12 should be good.” 

“Ok.” He kissed him again before getting out of the car. “See you tomorrow. babe.”

Steve nodded. “See you tomorrow Danno. Love you.”

* * *

He took a deep breath before opening the door. He knew Mary would be happy for him, for them. She had suffered all of his long sighs and grunts of frustration when he stabbed himself with a needle, or messed up a postcard and threw the paper across the room. Hell, she would probably be happy for herself at this point. 

Not that he was going to stop making things for Danny and the team.

But the thing was, he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to do this, he never had to go to any family member and say “Hey, I’m dating this person”. Hell, she found out about Catherine because it just happened that way, otherwise he would have never told her. But he was _dying_ to tell her about Danny: he hadn't been kidding when he had said he wanted everyone to know about them.

Band-aid method probably was the best, just rip it off and deal with whatever happened after.

“Mare? Can I talk to you for a second?” He questioned as he entered the kitchen, Mary busy chopping vegetables for tomorrow’s lunch.

“Yeah, of course. What’s up? How did it go with Grace?”

“Yeah, it went good… I need to tell you something.” He took another deep breath, much quieter than before and just charged ahead. “Danny and I are together. As in dating.”

“What?” She exclaimed.

He took a step back when Mary turned around, knife in her hand. “Woah Mary! Be careful with that!”

“Be careful? Then perhaps you should have said it when I didn’t have a knife in my hands!” She shot back, leaving said object on the counter before crushing him in a hug. “God Steve! I am so happy for you! You deserve this so much.”

He swallowed passed the lump forming on his neck. “You really think so?”

“‘Course I do. Steve, you should have seen your face the other day when you said he was taking you out on a date. The last time I remember you smiling like that is when you got that bike for Christmas when we were kids. You were glowing with happiness.”

He hummed. “It was a very good bike.”

“And Danny is a very good man.” Mary replied, rolling her eyes. “So, how did it happen? I want all the details, Steve.”

“I went to have lunch at the office with him, after I talked to Gracie. I was apologising for doing without him around and he said that I shouldn’t apologise for things out of my control and…”

“He’s right.”

“ _And_ then we started eating and somehow we ended up flirting and I said that if he kidnapped me I wouldn’t be a victim because I would have gone willingly and that… he was, you know…” He felt his cheeks reddening again because god, they really had been cheesy that day. And he knew that Mary would not leave him down. “My Prince Charming.” Mary’s eyes widened in disbelief, but he understood why, that was so out of character for him but god, Danny made him want to act like this, soft and vulnerable and flirty in a non-sexual way. He had never allowed himself to be like that, had never been comfortable with it, but Danny always seemed to do the impossible when it came to him. “And he said I was his and then he just... kissed me. Was more like a brush but… It did the job.”

“God, you two are unbelievable. Being around you has to give people rotten teeth.” She groaned, shaking her head and he wanted to feel offended, but he couldn’t because maybe they were sappy, but he _liked_ that, he liked being able to be let go and be silly with Danno. “Who else knows?”

“Chin and Kono for sure because Chin saw us and then he told Kono, but Danno is sure the whole team knows. Gracie figured it out today, sort of, so we told her the truth, of course. And we told Hele too when I dropped them off. He said he’d talk with Rachel and Charlie today. Where’s Joannie, by the way?”

“Playing at James’, but don’t worry about her, she will not care so long as you are happy.” She replied, smiling at her big brother.

Steve let out a shuddering breath at those words, sometimes he still found it hard to believe he had so many people who loved him around him.

“You are a great mom, Mary.” He praised, gathering her in a gentle hug, kissing her head.

He felt her swallow hard before she returned the embrace. “You really think so?”

“Of course Mare. You just have to look at how happy she is. I’m so proud of you.”

She nodded, feeling tears in her eyes, because Steve was not their dad, or Doris, but for her, his word was ten times more valuable than theirs, always had been.

“Thank you. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

He held her closer: ten years ago having this with Mary seemed impossible, their lives too different but now they were here. They were siblings again. And he would never let that go again. He never realised how much he had missed her until they started to call each other almost every week when she adopted Joannie. And being away from Danny had almost killed him, but being away from Mary had left its scars too.

“Are you still going to Coronado?” She suddenly questioned, pushing away to look at him in the eye.

“What?” 

“Coronado. Are you still going now that you are with Danny?”

“Yeah, I am. He knows it’s something I really want to do, that I _need_ to do and… he’s been really supportive. He says that the only rule is not to disappear on him again, to stay in contact. He said... He said that if I ever want to talk about anything, if I had a nightmare or whatever that I can call him whenever I need to.” He swallowed before looking her in the eyes. “I never thought I could have this. Not even back in Hawaii. I was fine with just being best friends, but I... I really love him, Mare. More than anything in the world.”

“I know you do. And I know he feels the same way.” She replied, going onto her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, not telling him just exactly how broken Danny had been without him by his side, how much brighter he was since then. How much brighter he himself was, too. “I’m so happy for you two.” She repeated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, I'm back at work and one side of me is super happy because that means I'll have some semblance of routine again (and yay, extra money), but the other side of me is dreading it because it's over 1.5h away from my apartment and I have two or three days a week that I finish at 9pm.

**Author's Note:**

> I am actually refusing to watch the finale, I watched one minutes towards the end and turned it off because I was that angry, so I'm writing this from reading other fanfics and people's anger at how it ended.
> 
> I am tempted to ignore Season 10 as a whole because almost none of it made sense to me, but I physically need to write this story. Also, if you feel like ranting, please feel free to in the comments section.


End file.
